'Fifty Shades' Author E L James to Release New Book

Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James is publishing a journal based on her best-selling trilogy.

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The new book, called Fifty Shades of Grey: Inner Goddess, arrives May 1 via Vintage Books and is described as "a bonded leather" journal offering "readers and aspiring writers a place where they can record their innermost thoughts."

It includes a foreward by James, excerpts from the Fifty Shades books, writing tips and a playlist of the music that inspired James to write; there are also lined pages for journaling with sections devoted to the author's characters, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey.

"As E L James traveled and met with her readers, there was a great curiosity about how she got started writing," said Vintage publisher Anne Messitte. "Her personal story as a writer is inspirational to many women, and journaling has been an important part of her creative process from the start."

The blockbuster books were published by Vintage in paperback and e-book last spring and have since sold 40 million-plus copies in the U.S. and 70 million globally.