‘Fifty Shades’ Boosts Barnes & Noble

More proof that the Fifty Shades trilogy is dominating the books industry: Barnes & Noble got a much-needed rise from sales of the BDSM trilogy, which helped the bookseller narrow losses for its latest quarter. Quarterly revenue for the nation’s largest bookstore chain climbed 2 percent to $1.1 billion, partially due to last year’s closing of competitor Borders. But the CEO of the company’s retail unit told analysts that “clearly Shades of Grey had the biggest impact in the numbers.” All in all, Barnes & Noble’s net loss in the quarter revealed a 28 percent improvement from its net loss at the same time last year.