Readers endure long waits for 'Fifty Shades of Grey' | News

St. Petersburg, Florida -- Last year, author E.L. James was sitting in her living room looking for ways to make some cash. Now, the author of the trilogy "Fifty Shades of Grey" is raking in the dough.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" is the biggest book juggernaut since Harry Potter. The romantic trilogy-- which tells the story of a 27-year-old billionaire and a college student is smashing records quicker than you can turn a page. 

In the U.S. and Canada, it sold 15 million copies in the first three months it went on sale. Reports, now put it close to the 20 million mark. 

Even with the racy subject matter, what's most shocking to the publishing industry is the word-of-mouth buzz the book has generated. The tantalizing page-turning plot may entice women, but its the electronic readers that's helped the more conservative reader sample the book unnoticed.

If you're trying to get a copy at a Bay area library, it may take months before you can get your hands on a copy.

In Pinellas, there are 880 people waiting for one of about 140 hard copies of the first installment. There are shorter waits of a couple hundred for the second and third books in the series.

Pinellas County Library Cooperative Executive Director Mary Brown says close to 380 are waiting for one of the library's 36 electronic editions of "50 Shades of Grey".

She added they try to maintain a 4 to 1 ratio for book checkout, but due to budget concerns, you may see 6 to 1 ratios in the future.

Meanwhile, many are waiting across the Bay for the e-Edition. In Hillsborough, about another 800 are waiting for one of about 230 print versions, but more than a thousand others are trying to read one of the 36 ebooks. Another 150 are waiting for hear one of the audio versions.