4 Reasons E.L. James is a Goddess for Writing Grey

James appreciates her fans so much she wrote something specifically for them
She even dedicated Grey to “those readers who asked…and asked…and asked…and asked for this.” There’s something wonderful about an author who goes the extra mile for her fans (who, after all, are largely responsible for her enormous success). Most authors thank their fans and appreciate them, of course, but don’t necessarily take their wishes into account. James is like a rock star playing an encore for her diehard fans—and to our delight, it’s a variation on one of her greatest hits, because she knows that’s the one we want to enjoy over and over.
She understands books can be crowd pleasers, too
For a country that has made seven Fast & Furious movies into huge blockbusters, we can be awfully high-minded about our options when it comes to reading material. So, people loved the Fifty Shades novels (many, many people!). They found them sexy, or fun, or silly, or intriguing, or some other combination of enjoyable qualities. All of those things are okay! You can enjoy reading a story because it’s fun and it speaks to you, moves you, or gives you a much-needed escape for awhile. It’s called reading for pleasure, and it can be the best. James understands that, and she’s happy to give us more of what we love, regardless of why we love it.

She’s in it for the love
Since selling 100 million copies of her trilogy worldwide, it’s safe to say James is doing all right. Were she so inclined, she could probably retire to a tropical island, rest on her laurels, and never publish another word. So it’s clear that—like other prolific, bestselling authors who continue to write even after achieving astronomical commercial success (J.K. Rowling and Stephen King both come to mind)—James has written another novel because writing is what she loves to do. The fact that Grey was written because James is in love with the characters and the storyline she has created (as she noted in the announcement about it on her website, “It’s been a great pleasure to return to my happy place—writing, being with Christian and Ana in their universe…”) makes us all the more excited to read it.
She’s not making us wait
How delightful that James made the announcement her new book would be dropping less than three weeks before it’ll be in our hot little hands. No months of teasing and dropping hints; no making us pre-order and then sit around waiting for half a year. Nope, we’re going to have a brand, spanking (!) new book to read this month. We’ve been waiting for what seems like forever for Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman (out July 14!), and J.K. Rowling just announced that Career of Evil, the third novel in the Cormoran Strike series she writes as Robert Galbraith, will be available this October. We’re used to waiting around for our favorite authors’ next books to come out—so when one of them offers us relatively instant gratification, it’s all the sweeter.
Are you going to read Grey?