Leave it to erotica to make retail sales soar.

Only in the land of the free—and I mean this in all sincerity—would 1) a book on erotic exploits to the nth degree (I can barely read through one sex scene!) be a crowd favorite and 2) a major retailer admit that erotic book sales were the reason behind its comparable-store sales increase.

But, that’s exactly what’s happened.
God bless America.

In its most recent quarterly sales report, Barnes & Noble cited that sales of “Fifty Shades of Grey” had been a huge part of its same-store sales increases for the quarter.

It’s amazing how one product can make that big of a difference in not only the life of the creator, but also in the life of a retailer that sold said product. I think this most definitely speaks to the power of retail, of consumers (and what they desire!) and of a well written (or not so well written, depending on who you ask) erotic novel.

Most of all, I love that Barnes & Noble was so transparent about the impact of “Fifty Shades of Grey” on its retail sales. That kind of honesty makes me want to go out and buy books from them, ASAP.

What are your thoughts on Barnes & Noble’s transparency? Do you think we’ll see more of this kind of phenomena where one product has the power to transform sales for a retailer? Leave your comments below.

-Heather Strang

Editor’s Note: Our dear friend and blogger Heather Strang is too humble (but we’re not!) to mention an interesting sidebar: she just wrote and published a romance novel herself. It’s called “The Quest.” Curious? Buy the e-book or learn more here!