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Killer app: the making of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

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From its origins as a piece of online fan fiction inspired by the Twilight series, the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has become a publishing phenomenon and global bestseller - in both ebook and physical book form - for author EL James and publisher Random House.

What did the job entail?

The physical edition is published by the Arrow imprint of Cornerstone Publishing at Random House in the UK. The books were typeset by Random House in America, whose UK operation put the prelims and endmatter into UK house style. All are B-format paperbacks with paginations ranging from 528pp to 592pp.

How was the job produced?
The text and covers were litho printed. Due to the worldwide release and urgency it was printed in three territories: the UK (CPI Group), Australia (Griffin Press) and India (Replika Press). Text and covers were produced litho and the paper is FSC-certified 52gsm Holmen Bulky.

CPI marketing manager Dino Bishop said: "We’ve deployed our extensive firepower across the CPI group, utilising our battery of Timson web presses to print the text. The high spec design of the covers – with finishes including SuperMatt lamination, foiling, UV varnishing and embossing – could have been a challenge to produce within the timeframe, but all processes are handled efficiently by CPI White Quill, in step with our binding schedule."

What challenges were overcome?
The main challenge was the compressed timeframe with just two weeks to produce printed copies in order to meet shipping and on-sale deadlines. Random House senior production controller Helen Smith recalls working so late in the office that she was liaising with both America and Australia simultaneously in order to save 48 hours of production time.

What was the feedback?
The books are now global bestsellers and have continued to be reprinted to meet demand, with reprints being ordered on an almost daily basis. "The publication was a huge team effort which involved tremendous hard work and dedication from all involved. We were fortunate to work with printers and a paper mill who took on the challenge and provided an impeccable service from the start," says Smith.

The trilogy has commanded the top three spots in the market for seven weeks, becoming the fastest-selling book of 2012. It has been reprinted 16 times in the UK, with an additional reprint of 2.75m copies just signed off in order to meet "unprecedented demand".

Hardback editions are now being planned for the Christmas gift season.