The power of fanfic: it dominated bestseller lists, spurred a rash of ER visits, and may have saved Barnes and Noble.

In 2011 the fanfic landscape shifted when a writer named “Snowqueen’s Icedragon” self-published her collected fanfic works as a book, now known as Fifty Shades of Grey. Fifty Shades quickly dominated bestseller lists, spurred an epidemic of sex toy-related ER visits, and may have even saved Barnes and Noble.
Source: Please Welcome Mystery Author Frankie Bow ~ Omnimystery News