4th Book sells 1.1 million copies in just four days

Despite poor reviews and ratings over 1 million copies of the latest instalment in the Fifty Shades of Grey series have flown off shelves in the week since it was released.

EL James' new book Grey, the latest novel in the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey series, has sold more than 1.1 million copies in trade, paperback, ebook and audio editions in just four days, its publisher said on Monday.

"This is an astonishing number of books to sell over a weekend and speaks to the engagement and passion readers have for the 'Fifty Shades' books," said publisher Anne Messitte, of the imprint of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

She said "Christian's side of the story is proving to be irresistible."

Grey had been the highest Kindle pre-order of this year on Amazon.com and shot straight to No. 1 on the online bestseller lists when it was published last Thursday. The novel was also released in Britain and in a Spanish-language version.

The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy sold more than 125 million copies worldwide and was published in 52 languages.

James announced the publication of the book on social media on June 1 in one of the best-kept secrets in publishing. She said she was prompted to write it by fans who wanted to know Grey's take on his relationship with college student Anastasia Steele, whom he introduces to kinky sex, sadomasochism and bondage.

Reviews for Grey have been mixed, with the Washington Post newspaper saying it is "dark and unrelenting and far too serious, like Mr. Grey."

Britain's Daily Mail newspaper said James reproduces all the tediously same encounters from the first book.

"With crafty economy of effort, Ms James has simply shadowed the whole plot of Book One, reproducing the clunky polystyrene dialogue word for word, and inserting italicised thoughts by Christian himself," it said.

But Adrian Liang, senior book editor at Amazon.com, believes James rose to the challenge.

"Is Grey a book I'd recommend to readers who disliked Fifty Shades? No, probably not. But for those who enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey or had mixed feelings about the book, Grey isa confident and complex retelling that makes the overall story richer," she added in a review on the retail site.

But if the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is anything to go by, it’s likely to be a huge hit. One of the most successful publications of all time, over 125 million copies of the trilogy have been sold worldwide.

The film adaptation of the book was also a runaway hit, and is the most successful 18-rate film ever made, according to The Telegraph.