"Fifty Shades" author to be at Comic-Con

(CBS News) Does Comic-Con really need another drawing card?

"Fifty Shades of Grey" author E. L. James will be signing books this summer at the hugely popular Comic-Con, the largest pop culture convention in the country, the Associated Press is reporting. The three-day event at the San Diego Convention Center draws more than 125,00 participants annually, many of them fans in costume.

The author of the multimillion-selling erotic "Fifty Shades" trilogy will be signing books on July 12, the opening day of the event, which continues through July 15. The ticketed afternoon event is free.

James' publisher, Vintage Books, announced Tuesday that the three books - "Fifty Shades of Grey," "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed" - have sold 16 million copies since coming out in the U.S. this spring.

Started in 1970 as a convention for comic book and science fiction-fantasy fans, Comic-Con has grown over the decades to include all manner of pop culture including TV shows, movies, animation, anime, manga, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels.