Bloom Books Celebrates Release of FREED: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author E L James, with Innovative Digital Multi-Author "Pre-Launch Party," Hosted on Looped, a Cutting-Edge Virtual/Interactive Event Platform

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Apr 30, 2021, 15:02 ET

CHICAGO, April 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Bloom Books, an imprint of Sourcebooks, launched ticket sales for The Freed Pre-Launch Party, celebrating the publication of FREED: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, with #1 New York Times bestselling author E L James and "book besties" Debra Anastasia, Ruth Clampett, Colleen Hoover, Helena Hunting, Alexa Martin and Katee Robert. A portion of proceeds from the event will benefit Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty. Bloom Books is hosting this first-of-its-kind publishing event on Looped, an innovative virtual venue commonly used by the entertainment industry.

Tagged "Come as You Are. Come as You Want to Be. This Is Your Night to Be FREED," the FREED Pre-Launch Party celebrates readers and their passion for the Fifty Shades books as much as the author herself – and her author guests. Dominique Raccah, Sourcebooks Publisher and CEO, notes, "Fifty Shades is absolutely a global phenomenon, and readers have been eagerly anticipating this installment, which features Ana and Christian's wedding, for a decade." She continues, "Given that FREED in essence invites readers to this lavish, long-awaited affair, we thought it fitting to give everyone a reason to celebrate now, with this special pre-launch event."

To maximize impact and interaction, Raccah tapped Looped as the virtual partner. "Our friends at Penguin Random House introduced us to the Looped team, and I was absolutely impressed by the capabilities they offer," said Raccah. "Looped has never hosted an event like the one we are planning for the publishing industry, having worked most closely until now with luminaries of the stage, screen and music industry. Readers are going to love this red-carpet virtual experience!"

The evening, which will feature appearances by E L James, along with authors Debra Anastasia, Ruth Clampett, Colleen Hoover, Helena Hunting, Alexa Martin and Katee Robert, will lead attendees through a program filled with original Fifty Shades-themed music, trivia, games, prizes, karaoke breakouts and an exclusive audiobook excerpt reading from FREED narrator Zachary Webber! There will also be a toast led by event partner Drink Bev®, a forward-thinking wine brand "made by chicks, but made for everyone."

Books will be sold in digital storefronts within the platform by Barnes & Noble (with Canadian retailer to be confirmed). There will also be the opportunity to buy FREED with signed bookplates (to be delivered on or after 6/1/21) – this is a consumers' only opportunity to get signed books in North America at on-sale.

A portion of proceeds will benefit Share Our Strength, an organization whose mission is to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and abroad. "No one should go hungry, as Christian Grey did in his early childhood," says author E L James, "and I applaud and support Share Our Strength's important work and their campaigns to end hunger and promote healthy and productive living for all."

Tickets to The Freed Pre-Launch Party are now available online: https://www.events.loopedlive.com/freed

$5 General Admission
$30.50 Book Bundle (US only): Includes admission, a copy of FREED and a signed bookplate, in partnership with Barnes & Noble.
$60 VIP Viewing Suite (includes admission for up to 12 attendees)

Every event attendee will receive an exclusive digital takeaway from Bloom Books.
We invite you to join us!

#ReadFreed

About Sourcebooks

Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial company that brings extraordinary authors to readers in the most dynamic, data-driven ways. We create books that transcend categories and defy odds, and we have been honored with hundreds of national bestsellers and awards. We are a company of enthusiastic book-lovers passionate about connecting books to readers in new and innovative ways. Story by story, book by book, we have touched over 100 million lives. Join us as we change 100 million more. Visit sourcebooks.com for more information.

Media Contact: Pamela Jaffee | Sr. Director of Publicity & Brand Marketing | [email protected]

About E L James

E L James is an incurable romantic and a self-confessed fangirl. After twenty-five years of working in television, she decided to pursue a childhood dream and write stories that readers could take to their hearts. The result was the controversial and sensuous romance Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

In 2015, she published the #1 bestseller Grey, the story of Fifty Shades of Grey from the perspective of Christian Grey, and in 2017, the chart-topping Darker, the second part of the Fifty Shades story from Christian's point of view. Her books have been published in fifty languages and have sold more than 165 million copies worldwide.

E L James has been recognized as one of Time magazine's "Most Influential People in the World" and Publishers Weekly's "Person of the Year." Fifty Shades of Grey stayed on The New York Times Best Seller List for 133 consecutive weeks. Fifty Shades Freed won the Goodreads Choice Award (2012), and Fifty Shades of Grey was selected as one of the 100 Great Reads, as voted by readers, in PBS's The Great American Read (2018). Darker was long-listed for the 2019 International DUBLIN Literary Award.

She was a producer on each of the three Fifty Shades movies, which made more than a billion dollars at the box office. The third installment, Fifty Shades Freed, won the People's Choice Award for Drama in 2018.

E L James is represented by her long-standing agent Valerie Hoskins of VHA London. E L James is blessed with two wonderful sons and lives with her husband, the novelist and screenwriter Niall Leonard, and their West Highland terriers in the leafy suburbs of West London.

About Looped

Looped's interactive streaming technology, production, and ticketing solutions provide creators with a world-class virtual venue to seamlessly host their events. Looped connects fans from around the world to attend these events and customizes their experience with one-of-a-kind offerings such as front row seats, backstage passes, and co-viewing suites. During Looped's events, fans have access to interactive features such as global chat rooms and live polling, allowing for audience participation directly with creators. To date, more than 400,000 fans and 1,500 creators have united on Looped. Learn more at www.loopedlive.com and on social media @loopedlive.

SOURCE Sourcebooks