why do women like books like 50 shades of grey

Well, if anyone can answer that, there's a few dozen publishers who would likely pay a lot of money for that information on What Makes a Viral Bestseller (With Accompanying Huge Media Exposure). Yet the fact remains, one of the questions I've seen (and been) asked is, “Why is this book, 50 Shades of Grey, so popular?” And I wish there wasn't so much implication in the coverage that there is something bizarrely alien about the popularity of a novel (particularly a novel popular with female readers). Moreover, I am certainly not trying to imply by asking why this book is popular that, if you liked this book, there's something wrong with you. Since women's sexuality and reproductive health are under political attack here in the US of WTF, anything that supports a woman's right to satisfy her own sexual curiosity is all good with me.

I didn't like the book myself, but if you liked it, and it turned your engine, more power to you. As Jane and I have been discussing, and as she noted at DA, 50 Shades of Grey has been collecting the type of media exposure that publicists have fever dreams about. From HuffPo to the Today Show website and television broadcast, to the NY Post and various Fox affiliates in New York and San Diego, the story boils down to: women are reading this book, it's become exceedingly popular, it's a sexually-focused romance, and the women featured share a few things in common, most notably that it's a wonderfully arousing book for them.

Why do women like books like 50 shades of grey