How “After” author Anna Todd built an erotica empire from One Direction fanfiction

[stewie_e]

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Like “Fifty Shades of Grey” author E.L. James, Anna Todd, 30, is part of a growing movement of authors who self-published online first. Now Todd has book and movie deals with “After” and “After We Collided.”

Todd’s writing of the novel was inspired by the music and fandom of One Direction and started her writing on Wattpad.

Comments

[dman108]

This garbage is currently in my Netflix queue. On a scale of 1 to 10 on the trashy fun scale (1 being unwatchable trash and 10 being Tyler Perry’s camp classic ACRIMONY) how is AFTER?

[joe_pwnz_pete]

All I remember from the quick read of the book I did is that it all turns out to be a bet a la She's All That but like... by the time that's revealed, they've been living together for like months so it doesn't even make sense as a climactic conflict.

[jontargaryen]

I can't remember how long they were living in the apartment in the book (I feel like it was more like a couple of weeks), but them moving in together is part of the abuse. He's deliberately isolating her from her friends. Her roommate knew about the bet, and he was afraid she would rat him out and Tessa would leave him. One of his attempts to control her is convincing her to move in with him very fast and keeping her away from people they both know.

Also, it's revealed in the second book that he's not only a sexual predator, but an outright criminal who secretly (i.e., without the girls' consent) filmed and shared revenge porn twice.

[snippy_carrot]

I caught maybe five minutes of it (my sister was watching it) and... it’s bad.

Like a very cardboard guy doing a Harry Styles cosplay - complete with bad tattoos - fingering a girl and breathlessly saying “What, has no one ever touched you here before?” bad.

[joe_pwnz_pete]

I feel like the fanfiction borne from sexual frustration could fill the entire ocean.

[keskt]

Absolutely

[keskt]

Oh no...

[winterbam]

The lead actress is trying her best, but the lead actor is atrocious and the storyline is sooo bad.

[anolinde]

It's bad, but in an entertaining way. The last twenty minutes (when the "conflict" starts) are really stupid, but overall not a terrible way to spend a night if you're amused by how ridiculous it is.

[snortingcoke]

it was the worst thing i have ever watched. it's worse than fifty shades of grey.

[rubie_dubidoux]

I would not ever call it Good, but it reminded me a lot of Twilight/50 Shades in that it took what was reputed to be absolutely garbage source material and distilled it down to its most basic elements (that attracted a fanbase in the first place). No awkward prose, much less abusive behavior, a much more straightforward plot, decent cinematography and good use of atmosphere & soundtrack etc

for this I knew very little about the book beyond the One Direction business and that it was just really badly written but the movie itself it just a pretty straightforward angsty tale of young love. It was whatever

[zibbydoo324]

I lasted 30 minutes and I just couldn’t anymore. It kind of reminds me of “a walk to remember” but insufferable and the girl is delusional.

[ladyserenity84]

Honestly from what I've seen of it, I'm surprised it's getting a second movie. Lots of cringe worthy/facepalm moments.

[veryshortstory]

It’s not trashy fun. There were quite a few times I had to pause and walk away because the cringe was too much. No idea how I eventually finished but the lead girl is Katherine Langford’s sister and pretty.

[progression]

Both of the sisters are so pretty, my word. And Voldemort's nephew is kinda barely cute. So I can see teens loving the hell out of this mess just for that alone.

[blahblahcakes64]

Sadly, it isn't even enjoyably bad. It's disastrous.