Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Neil Gaiman responds to the ridiculous hype around Fifty Shades of Grey

The Stardust author told a fan not to worry about the kinky trilogy's saturation of the literary market

Helen Nianias
Monday 02 February 2015 12:10 EST
Comments
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and Anansi Boys are to be adapted for two TV series
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and Anansi Boys are to be adapted for two TV series (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Neil Gaiman has told a fan not to 'fret' about the popularity of critically condemned commercial literature, such as the Fifty Shades franchise.

A concerned reader asked on his Tumblr: "Do you think the commercialization of literature [sic]... has put good, thoughtful and valuable literature at risk?" He used the fact that the sales figures of EL James' Fifty Shades trilogy have far outstripped those of dystopian Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury.

Back in 2012, Fifty Shades of Grey was already the best-selling book in Britain since records began, in spite of its reputation as poorly written "mommy porn".

Gaiman, who has written much-loved books including Coraline and Stardust, said that this is how the books market has been for years. "Nothing’s changed. Some books are, often inexplicably, bestsellers," he wrote. "That’s been the way of it for a hundred and fifty years or more.

"Read the books you love, tell people about authors you like, and don’t worry about it."

Gaiman added: "Ray Bradbury sold quite a lot of books in 1956, and quite a lot of books in 2006 (Fahrenheit 451 alone has sold over 5 million copies), and he found his readers for his books and his stories in every year. And I’ll wager a hundred years from now he’ll still be read…

"So, honestly, I wouldn’t fret, if I were you."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in