A Sydney-based publisher has secured a seven-figure deal after turning a free online story into a New York Times bestseller.

EL James’ Fifty Shades of Grey topped the charts of the paper’s bestseller list after Amanda Hayward spotted the story on the net and decided to market it through The Writer’s Coffee Shop, a publishing house established by Hayward and her US partner.

The publisher has now been offered a seven-figure sum for the book by Random House, which will publish two follow-ups to complete the trilogy.

Random house was not the only leading industry player to bid for the book however, with Hayward revealing to ABS Radio that all six major publishers were in talks to buy the title.

She told the broadcaster: “It’s good that it started out as an e-book. It shows that this is definitely the way of the future.

Described as Mommy Porn or Twilight for adults, the plot centres around young student Anastasia Steele and troubled-but-charming entrepreneur Christian Grey.

The Writer’s Coffee shop was launched in October 2010 after the site originated in 2009 as an online forum to discuss books, blogs and news.

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