WOMEN in Cairns are rushing to get their hands on the saucy international bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey.

Promising to obsess readers, EL James's raunchy read has sold up to 20 million copies worldwide.

And avid Far North readers won't be missing out on the erotic tale with waiting lists already created at libraries and local bookshops.

More than 80 people are on the waiting list at Cairns library with Collins Booksellers at Smithfield awaiting their next delivery.

Collins franchisee Kerstin Brown said the steamy novel had already sold out at her store.

"As soon as (the book) comes in - it goes out again. We sell out in a day," she said.

Fifty Shades of Grey is the first instalment in a trilogy following the relationship of college graduate Anastasia Steele and young business magnate Christian Grey.

"We have the second and third books of the trilogy, and we are getting more stock of Fifty Shades of Grey next week."

Ms Brown believed the book's sex scenes prompted its popularity.

"It's mostly mums and probably women between 21 and 40 (buying the book)."

A staffer at QBD Cairns Central said he couldn't believe the frenzy stirred up by the book.

"It's the biggest selling book in the history of paperbacks," he said.

"The publisher can't keep up with it.''

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