50 Shades and the new queens of self-publishing

After the success of the EL James erotic novels, middle-aged women are rushing into print.

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in Fifty Shades of Grey

Deirdre Reynolds

Once seen as a last resort for failed authors, there was another major boost for self-publishing this week.

New academic research has shown that, far from the stereotype of the eccentric hobbyist scribbling away in the garden shed, most self-published authors are now well-educated professionals in their 40s and 50s.