As we speculated might happen, both of the titles in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy that debuted last week on the E-Book Best-Seller List last week have made mighty leaps up the rankings ahead of the film adaptation’s release this Valentine’s Day.
“Fifty Shades of Grey” is now the No. 4 title and “Fifty Shades Freed” No. 9, while Paula Hawkins’s “The Girl on the Train” holds the top spot for a second week running.
But the one-two punch E.L. James pulls off is mirrored by two other authors: Harper Lee, whose celebrated “To Kill a Mockingbird” and that title’s recently rediscovered forebear “Go Set a Watchman” both land within the top 25, and Gillian Flynn, with “Gone Girl” and “Dark Places.”
Controversy has surrounded the latter book since its impending publication later this year was announced last week. It’s hard to judge just how far that kerfuffle has stoked additional excitement for “Go Set a Watchman,” but it’s clear the anticipation is driving interest in Lee’s work among ebook readers.
The average price of a best-seller continues its upward climb into a third week, reaching $6.89 from $6.67.
E-book best-sellers from the week ending 2/7:
- “The Girl on the Train: A Novel,” Paula Hawkins, Penguin Random House, $8.99
- “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History,” Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice, HarperCollins, $5.86
- “Gone Girl: A Novel,” Gillian Flynn, Penguin Random House, $4.99
- “Fifty Shades of Grey,” E.L. James, Penguin Random House, $2.99
- “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee, HarperCollins, $3.99
- “Big Little Lies,” Liane Moriarty, Penguin Random House, $3.99
- “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” Laura Hillenbrand, Penguin Random House, $4.99
- “Private Vegas,” James Patterson; Maxine Paetro, Hachette, $9.99
- “Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy Book 3),” E.L. James, Penguin Random House, $7.99
- “All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel,” Anthony Doerr, Simon & Schuster, $11.99
- “Dark Places: A Novel,” Gillian Flynn, Penguin Random House, $2.99
- “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” Cheryl Strayed, Penguin Random House, $6.15
- “The Escape (John Puller Series Book 3),” David Baldacci, Hachette, $9.99
See the complete list of this week’s top 25 e-book bestsellers at Digital Book World.
Rich Bellis writes for Digital Book World, where this article originally appeared.
