Erotic fiction is now 4000 per cent more popular than high quality literature by the likes of Dickens or Austen

New research shows sales of erotic fiction overtaking the classics

The ever-increasing trend for ‘mummy porn’ shows no sign of abating, as new research suggests sales of erotic fiction like Fifty Shades of Grey are outstripping those of work by classic authors the likes of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

This comes in the wake of figures which show that Sylvia Day’s Reflected in You sold 100,000 copies in its first week, and that its predecessor Fifty Shades of Grey has sold more than 40 million copies since it was first released in May 2011.

‘Although we weren’t surprised to see an increase in sales of erotic fiction on the site, we were shocked at how much they are outselling award-winning novels such as Hilary Mantle’s Bring up the Bodies,’ said Adam Stewart, Marketing director at Play.com.

‘It shows that the Fifty Shades phenomenon is well and truly alive, and customer engagement with the genre looks set to remain,’ he continued.

Despite the questionable quality of writing, erotic fiction accounts for 14 per cent of all books sold on Play.com, whereas Man Booker Prize authors account for 0.4 per cent.

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