Hundreds of people gathered outside Rockefeller Center Thursday morning — but they weren’t rabid girls screaming over One Direction.
The line stretching around the corner of 46th Street and Fifth Avenue was filled with middle-aged housewives, their noses buried deep in the latest erotic novel from E.L. James, simply titled “Grey.”
James was scheduled to sign copies of the book — which tells the “Fifty Shades of Grey” tale from kinky businessman Christian Grey’s perspective — at 11:30 am at the Fifth Avenue Barnes & Noble.
“I almost peed myself when I heard [James] was releasing Christian’s point of view,” says Noreen Corrigan, 54, of Brooklyn, who had been waiting in line since 8 a.m. with fellow fans that she met through a “Fifty Shades of Grey” Facebook group.
“I’m hoping it explains stuff that’s open to interpretation in the book. Does [Christian] enjoy hurting [Ana], or does he feel he has to because of his abusive past?”
Vintage Publishers printed 1.25 million copies of the novel, which is currently leading sales for both Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Superfans Sharon Hill, 64 and Jennifer Karu, 44, had been sitting on the sidewalk since 6:30 a.m., after boarding a bus in their home state of Virginia at 2 a.m. to come to the Big Apple.
“Call us crazy, but we came just for the book signing — and we’re headed right back home when it’s done,” says Hill.
But the line wasn’t fueled by estrogen alone.
“Romance is not just for women. It’s a universal concept,” says Christopher Basso, 29, who read the original novel to appease a female friend.
“I don’t usually read sex novels, but afterward I was mesmerized. This book is more about emotion; the sex is a sideshow.”
As much as he’s looking forward to getting inside Christian’s head, Basso is concerned about how accurately James will be able to describe sex from a male perspective.
“It was probably a fun experience for James. We will see [if she does it well].”
James has even inspired Basso to write a novel on his own. “I started in February, and now I have 50,000 words. She’s a big part of my inspiration.”
He wasn’t the only fan encouraged by James to pick up a pen.
“I want to be her in 20 years,” confesses Christina Disilvestro, a 20-year-old aspiring writer from Staten Island. “She’s such an amazing writer. I cannot wait to have a best seller like her.”
Corrigan — who saw the “Fifty Shades of Grey” film in theaters a dozen times — scrawled a thank you note to give to James.
“She brought me back to life. I thought I was headed to menopause, but now I can’t get enough! I need to find my own Christian Grey . . . or maybe his father.”