Erika Leonard Mitchell, commonly known as E. L. James, is a famous British novelist, as well as a film producer. To the public, E. L. James is perhaps best known as the writer of an erotic romance novel called “Fifty Shades of Grey”. With a focus on a character called Ana Steele and a well-known entrepreneur Christian Grey, the novel explores their physical and emotional relationship. Even though “Fifty Shades of Grey” received a lot of public attention, not all of it praised James’ writing. Many critics have expressed their disapproval of the glorification of the abusive relationship between Steele and Grey, as well as depictions of BDSM practices. Consequently, the book was banned in Florida and Macae, Brazil. Nevertheless, the “Universal Pictures” company has decided to produce and distribute a film adaptation of the book, scheduled to be released in 2015. Directed by Sam Taylo-Johnson, the “Fifty Shades of Grey” film will star Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eloise Mumford and Luke Grimes in the main roles. In addition to the film, a board game based on James’ novels has been released by “Imagination Games” company.
E. L. James Net Worth $80 Million
A well-known author, how rich is E. L. James? According to sources, she earned as much as $5 million from the rights to film “Fifty Shades of Grey” film. In 2013, her total earnings amounted to $95 million. In regards to her overall wealth, E. L. James’ net worth is estimated to be $80 million, the majority of which she has accumulated due to her “Fifty Shades of Grey” books.
James was born in 1963, in London, England, but spent most of her childhood in Buckinghamshire. She studied at Wycombe High School, and later enrolled in the University of Kent, where she took up history studies. Upon her graduation, James started to work at the National Film and Television School, where she held the position of an assistant. Aside from working, E. L. James expressed an nterest in writing, which gave rise to her fan fiction stories. This inspired the publication of “Fifty Shades of Grey”, which was originally based on Stephenie Meyer’s characters in the “Twilight” saga. The book earned her two National Book Awards in 2012, as well as the title of “Publishing Person of the Year” and a place amongst “The Top 100 Most Influential People in the World”.
Following the success of “Fifty Shades of Grey”, E. L. James released the second installment in the series entitled “Fifty Shades Darker”, which came out in 2012. Upon its publication, the book peaked at #2 on the list of best-sellers compiled by “USA Today” newspaper. The third installment in the series called “Fifty Shades Freed” was released later that same year, and even though it failed to repeat the success of its predecessors, it still succeeded at selling more than two million copies in the United Kingdom alone.
In regards to her personal life, E. L. James is married to Niall Leonard, with whom she has two children.
