E.L. James

E.L.

James is the pen name of British author Erika Leonard, known for the *Fifty Shades* trilogy—erotic romance novels that became a publishing phenomenon in the early 2010s.

The books, which began as *Twilight* fan fiction, brought BDSM themes into mainstream conversation and spawned film adaptations.

Her name often appears in discussions of self-publishing success and the blurring line between fan fiction and commercial fiction.