What You Can Learn From The Success Of 50 Shades Of Gray (And It’s Not What You Think)

Today, I’m going to talk about something more controversial than religion or politics. It’s the book 50 Shades Of Gray. 

Quit groaning. There’s a reason we’re talking about it. 

Now, I personally didn’t like that book, but you have to respect what it accomplished. 

What did it accomplish aside from being a worldwide phenomenon and a mediocre movie trilogy?  

Well, to answer that question, you have to know a little about its history. When it came out, Twilight was at the peak of it’s popularity. Twilight imitators, writing about vampires and shifters were popping up like mushrooms. 

But none of them had the success of 50 Shades. 

You see, 50 Shades started out as Twilight Fan Fiction self-published on…not Wattpad, but a site like Wattpad. 

Gradually, it shed the vampires but kept the dynamic of Edward and Bella; transformed into Anastaisa and Christian Gray. 

And it was a huge hit.

Why? 

Why in the world? 

SImple. It wasn’t the vampires the readers liked.

It was actually the dynamic that people responded to; not the vampires, plot or situations.

Because Twilight readers already felt they knew this couple, they happily flocked over to 50 Shades of Gray, eager to spend more time with their favorite characters and the dynamic they’d established. 

That is the power of knowing what your readers want and actually giving it to them. Because James was a Twilight fan herself (something most of the imitators were not,) she was able to capture that lighting in a bottle that was the original Twilight, put her own stamp on it, and give it back to the delighted readers. 

That’s the power of the right Dynamic. And of course, a dynamic is nothing more than how two or more characters relate to each other. 

About Post Author