Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Culture

    Fifty Shades Of Grey Helps Boost Nationwide Book Sales

    2012 saw four per cent increase in sales despite recession

    By Marie Claire
    Published 2 May 2013 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    EL James reading
    EL James reading
    (Image credit: Press Association)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    2012 saw four per cent increase in sales despite recession

    Fifty Shades of Grey fans helped contribute to an increase in book sales last year despite the recession.

    According to the Publishers Association, total book sales last year rose by four per cent in 2012 in stark contrast to 2011's two per cent decline, bringing total sales to 3.3bn.

    Digital sales are partly behind this as they grew by 66 per cent, but erotic fiction fans had a part to play, too.

    The book was staggeringly successful, with 10.5m copies sold in the UK, helping to boost the country's book industry.

    You may like
    • Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
    • a collage of best books to read for autumn 2026 From Murders and Ghosts to Film Stars and Literary Fiction—these are the must reads for summer
    • The best things to do this October The Agenda: Your October Just Got More Interesting

    The erotic tale of a graduate and S&M loving businessman dominated the book charts all year, with the first book in the trilogy taking the top spot in the 2012 best-sellers chart.

    It's now being made into a hotly-anticipated film, but it's still a mystery as to who will play the lead characters, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    THE FIFTY SHADES MUSICAL PARODY

    LATEST WORLD NEWS

    Explore More
    Books
    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights
    Relationships Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
    a collage of best books to read for autumn 2026
    Culture From Murders and Ghosts to Film Stars and Literary Fiction—these are the must reads for summer
     
     
    The best things to do this October
    Food and Drink The Agenda: Your October Just Got More Interesting
    Wicker husband: Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Coleman in the new film Wicker
    Relationships Move Over Regular Men and AI Boyfriends, The “Wicker Husband” Has Arrived
     
     
    Latest in Culture
    The best things to do this November
    Culture The Agenda: November Is Looking Good
    Actress Emilia Clarke
    Culture The Anti-Maxxing Issue: Featuring Emilia Clarke, Signature Scents, Practical Styling Tips and So Much More
     
     
    Emilia Clarke
    Culture Emilia Clarke: “That's my goal for the next decade of my life: to take it lightly. But it requires strength.”
    The best things to do this September
    Culture The Agenda: The New-Season Cultural Reset
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Overconsumption: Rhode raises a wider beauty question
    Beauty Beauty Wants to Talk Anti-Consumption. But Can an Industry Built on Selling More Really Change?
    The best things to do this November
    Culture The Agenda: November Is Looking Good
     
     
    Oestrogen skincare
    Skincare Can Oestrogen Really Reverse Skin Ageing? MC Investigates Beauty’s Next Hormonal Frontier
    Health freelancer Georgia trying a walking challenge; with her dog, the app, and at a cafe
    Fitness I Tried a Walking App to Break My Mindless Scrolling Habit—And It Changed My Relationship With My Phone
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.