STEAMY SALES: Book sellers Bernadette Virgen and Paul McManus keep seeing the newest best seller walking out the door. Photo: Kitty Hill 130712KHA01
Sex sells, and mummy porn is causing more than just orgasmic giggles among northern readers.
A book called Fifty Shades of Grey that doesn't come in a brown paper wrapper is walking off book shelves everywhere as women soak up an erotic romance fiction that is leaving fellas reeling.
It's no different around here. It is more than hot and steamy. It's hot, hot.
At Armidale, where literary levels often reach higher academic marks, bookseller Graeme Hicks says it's a sustained top ten release.
In Tamworth, Collins Booksellers can't keep it up - to the demands of customers, that is.
The latest literary bestseller is the first of three books from author EL James that has become a tearaway success.
The racy novel has catapulted books back into the limelight and while it started as an e-book seller, Collins owner Paul McManus says it quickly transferred form to the good, old hard copy version that is the biggest seller.
At Dymocks in Armidale, it has also prompted renewed buyer interest in similar copycat books.
"The demand for this book has been completely remarkable," Mr Hicks said.
It has been listed in the top 10 bestsellers every week in his shop since its release on April 5.
"It's gone through the roof," says Collins book seller Bernadette Virgen.
"If I could have a dollar for every person who's come in in the last few days and asked about it; it's quite amazing and yes, I read it. No, it's not a literary masterpiece, you know."
"And you need patience." What, to read it?
"No," she laughs.
"You need patience to get hold of a copy. As soon as we get new stocks, we run out. It's running out the door."
So has owner, and male workmate Paul, read it?
"Of course not," Mr McManus laughs.
"It's almost exclusively being read by women, and probably I'd say, mostly women from 25 to over 50. It's just phenomenal; just crazy."
The promotional hype, he says, ignited readers and word about it spread like wildfire.
It is the biggest bestseller since the Twilight series of werewolves and vampires and before then Harry Potter. But this book has polarised readers like none before. Nine out of 10 buyers are women, and where's it's a man, he's buying it for his wifeor girlfriend.
Around book clubs and women readers, the critiques have been varied. They giggle, they gush, they groan. But they get it.
As one grandmother said succinctly: "It's not good for an old girl like me but talk about a steamy read...it's the closest I've got to sex for a long time. It's a hoot."