Mommy, where did 50 Shades of Grey come from?

It turns out that BDSM mega-seller 50 Shades of Grey originated as fan fiction! Who knew?

Lots of interesting history and some discussion, too shallow for my taste but still substantive, of the legal issues in going from unpaid fan fiction to a giant book contract.

I do think the author overstates the case in terms of the demise of gatekeepers. Ayn Rand and Richard Bach, as well as numberless other writers of self-help, romance, and western books sold lots of books back in the pre-internet days, all without approval, and sometimes with active disapproval, from gatekeeping scolds.