Rachel Kramer Bussel Defends E.L. James on 50 SHADES Disdain

With the unthinkably widespread popularity of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has come a torrent of disdain for author E.L. James. Rachel Kramer Bussel, prolific author and editor of books in the 50 Shades genre, has stepped in on The Toast to express sympathy for one of the most influential women of 2013.

After the audience of the Erotic Trade Only Awards publicly snubbed James when she won a title, Rachel Kramer Bussel realized that perhaps James could use some support from her peers. Bussel argues that even if the books weren't incredibly well-written, they still brought much-needed attention and awareness to BDSM culture and literature. Her success has even sparked more widespread sales and readership for other S/M authors, as seen in the increased attention to presses like Cleis Press; Cleis has released the best-selling titles like Please, Sir and Carrie's Story and received positive response from mainstream media like Cosmpolitan and Publishers Weekly.

Furthermore, Bussel explains a final hidden benefit of the 50 Shades craze:

"The fact that James, despite her success, comes across as your average mom who's had a bit of mind-blowing success means she's opened up as many doors for writers via her personality as she has by helping expand the market. She doesn't have the glamour or remove of a Jackie Collins or Danielle Steel, and by virtue of that, should give those who've been thinking I could do that to get out there and write their hearts out."

Rachel Kramer Bussel is an author, editor and blogger. She's edited over 50 anthologies, including org*smic; Fast Girls; Gotta Have It; Twice the Pleasure; Baby Got Back; Serving Him; The Mile High Club; and Cheeky Spanking Stories. Find her online at http://lustylady.blogspot.com and @raquelita on Twitter.