Twilight Fanfic Author Gets Lucrative Deal From Penguin Imprint

Twilight fanfic author Sylvain Reynard has received a lucrative seven-figure deal from Penguin’s imprint Berkley, which has ordered over 500,000 initial copies of the best-selling ebook. “Gabriel’s Inferno” and its sequel “Gabriel’s Rapture”, both of which began their literary lives as Twilight fan fiction, was originally published in digital form by Omnific Publishing.

The acquisition of these titles is a response to the popularity of writer E.L. James’ “mommy porn” smash “Fifty Shades of Grey”, which is currently being transformed into a big-screen endeavor. According to The Sun, the popular erotic novel recently became Amazon UK’s best-selling book of all time, knocking J.K. Rowling and her “Harry Potter” series from the top spot.

However, despite all the hoopla surrounding Sylvain Reynard’s steamy series, very little has been revealed about the author. The Hollywood Reporter states the press release regarding the deal contained very little information about the writer. In fact, when the stories were originally published online, they were apparently penned by someone named Sebastien Robichaud. Fans of the books aren’t even sure if their new favorite author is a man or a woman. The mystery surrounding the identity of the author will help spur interest in the novels, I’m sure.

“Fifty Shades of Grey”, despite receiving numerous negative reviews from critics, has become something of a literary sensation this year. Presently, the book has sold over 20 million copies, earning James a cool $50 million for her efforts. Focus Features even dropped $5 million to purchase the film rights. Not bad for a book which originally began as erotic Twilight fan fiction.

If you’re unfamiliar with “Gabriel’s Inferno”, here’s the skinny: Previously released online as “The University of Edward Masen,” the books follow the sexual adventures of a college professor named Gabriel Emerson who uses his seductive skills to woo a “sweet and innocent” grad student. Considering the ebook versions of these tales have already received a fair amount of attention, Berkley is anticipating great things for the series down the road.