Fifty Shades (novel series) Fifty Shades (novel series) Fifty Shades is a series of erotic novels by E. L. James. Initially a trilogy consisting of "Fifty Shades of Grey" (2011), "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed" (2012), the series traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business man, Christian Grey. Grey introduces Ana to the world of BDSM. James has spoken of her shock at the success of the book, "The explosion of interest has taken me completely by surprise" she said. James has described the "Fifty Shades" trilogy as "my midlife crisis, writ large. All my
Fifty Shades of Grey (film) continuance, stating that "much or all" of the "Fifty Shades" material was part of the public domain because it was originally published in various venues as a fan fiction based on the "Twilight" series. A lawyer for Smash Pictures further commented that the federal copyright registrations for the books were "invalid and unenforceable" and that the film "did not violate copyright or trademark laws". The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed sum and Smash Pictures agreed to stop any further production or promotion of the film. In April 2015, "The Hollywood Reporter" reported that E. L.