There will soon be a new way to look at the international phenomenon that is 50 Shades Of Grey: From the point of view of a small publisher who is finally getting paid the royalties she was owed. Much as we’re all finally going to see the story as it was meant to be told—namely, through the eyes of a man—now we’ll be able to appreciate the story via an even deeper level. That is, if by “deeper level” you mean “the knowledge that yet another person who isn’t you will soon be a multimillionaire,” and by “the story” you mean “poorly worded fan fiction.”
The BBC reports a judge has ordered Australian Amanda Hayward to pay Texas resident Jennifer Pedroza $10.7 million. The pair were partners in The Writers Coffee Shop, the small online publishing house that originally put out E.L. James’ badly disguised attempt to imagine Edward and Bella from Twilight getting their fuck on. The jury in the lawsuit found that Hayward had tricked Pedroza into signing a contract that cut her out of the publishing royalties when the rights were sold to Random House. And while this is just a rough estimate—the judge said a specific number could be worked out when the two sides reach an agreement—it seems likely Pedroza will no longer have to content herself with the look of horror on people’s faces when she points to the book and says, “I’m responsible for that,” as the sole reward for her efforts.