FIFTY SHADES FREED again stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey respectively, directed by James Foley from a screenplay by the author's husband Niall Leonard. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, FIFTY SHADES DARKER and FIFTY SHADES FREED have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide. Last month, Vintage published a special boxed set, FIFTY SHADES Trilogy: The Movie Tie-In Editions, with movie-art covers plus a film poster. In prelude to the film’s release, E L James made a rare personal appearance in Los Angeles, where she signed books for a big crowd of fans. Watch the FIFTY SHADES FREED trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJCc5HRPxYA

In DARKER, E L James revisits the world of Fifty Shades with a retelling of FIFTY SHADES DARKER  from Christian Grey’s point of view.  Ever since the 2015 publication of GREY, the first book by James to employ a perspective shift, fans have been clamoring for a continuation of the series in Christian’s voice. “This new book is full of surprises,” said Messitte. “Readers are going to see a darker and more haunted version of Christian’s character. Fans of the series will have much to discover and even more to discuss.” “The inside of Christian Grey's head is a fascinating place to be,” said James. “In GREY we got the first glimpse of what makes Christian tick, but in DARKER we go deeper, into his most painful memories and the encounters that made him the damaged, demanding man Ana falls in love with. Writing this novel has been a journey of discovery, and I hope readers will find what I’ve learned as compelling as I did. Finally, it’s always a joy to work with the great team at Vintage.” DARKER will be published simultaneously by Penguin Random House Audio, Penguin Random House Canada, and Penguin Random House UK, and soon after, in territories around the world. A US Spanish language edition, published by Vintage Español, will be available in December. E L James is represented by Valerie Hoskins of VHA Ltd in London. Foreign rights are handled by ILA in London E L James’s GREY is the fastest-selling book in the history of Penguin Random House. The Fifty Shades books have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide in 52 languages. The two films based on the novels have grossed more than 945M worldwide. The third film, Fifty Shades Freed, will be released by Universal Pictures on February 9, 2018. After twenty-five years working in TV, E L James decided to pursue a childhood dream, and set out to write stories that readers would fall in love with. The result was the sensuous romance FIFTY SHADES OF GREY and its two sequels, FIFTY SHADES DARKER and FIFTY SHADES FREED.  In 2015 she published the bestseller GREY, the story of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY from the perspective of Christian Grey. In 2012, E L James was named one of Time magazine's "Most Influential People in the World," one of Barbara Walters's "Ten Most Fascinating People of the Year," and Publishers Weekly’s "Person of the Year.” She went on to work as a producer on the film adaptations of her trilogy for Universal Pictures. E L James lives with her husband, the novelist and screenwriter Niall Leonard; their two sons; and their two dogs in West London.

  Click here to enter for your chance to win a personalized Banned Books Box filled with ten of your favorite books and a special banned books mug courtesy of Out of Print Clothing (No purchase necessary. US residents, 18+. Ends 9/30/17. See Official Rules.)    I AM JAZZ by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas Challenge Reasons: Inaccurate, Homosexuality, Sex Education, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited for Age Group The story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for trans kids everywhere. Jazz’s story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers.   FIFTY SHADES OF GREY by E L James Challenge Reasons: Nudity, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited for Age Group When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidat­ing. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.   LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding Challenge Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Excessive Violence LORD OF THE FLIES remains as provocative today as when it was first published in 1954, igniting passionate debate with its startling, brutal portrait of human nature. Though critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored upon its initial publication. Yet soon it became a cult favorite among both students and literary critics who compared it to J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye in its influence on modern thought and literature. Also during Banned  Books Week, head over to Out of Print Clothing to find out how you can contribute to hurricane relief efforts through book donations from Penguin Random House. For each piece of Banned Books merchandise sold on the Out of Print website during Banned Books Week, September 24 – 30, Penguin Random House will donate one book in support of hurricane relief efforts through First Book up to 10,000 books. Click here to start browsing and give back.  

Fifty Shades Darker opens Thursday night with preview showings on more than 3,000 screens across North America. Here’s hoping that classic mantra “See the movie. Read the book” will be a popular call to action these coming days. Watch the Fifty Shades Darker film trailer from Universal Pictures here. [caption id="attachment_5015" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Pictured (left to right) Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, James Foley and E L James[/caption]