Shawn Warner, 58, was experiencing a sales lull during a book signing when he was approached by a TikToker interested in giving away a copy of Warner’s book. What happened next was beyond his wildest imagination.
“It threw me into a place I certainly never thought I’d be, especially as a first-time author,” said Warner, author of the young adult murder mystery “Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor.” “It’s been an amazing ride so far.”
A Warner video posted by TikTok user Jerrad Swearenjin (@internetfamouslol) received more than 17 million views on the platform. In the video, Swearenjin asked Warner about his book and how he got into writing mysteries.
He then asked Warner if he would sign a book for a TikTok giveaway, and Warner agreed. oath choose a raffle winner Thursday.
Swearenjin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This new author looked super defeated when I first walked past him,” Swearenjin wrote on his TikTok. “So before I left the store, I decided to go back.”
After Swearenjin posted his TikTok, many viewers rushed to support Warner and his book. “Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor” quickly became the #1 bestseller on Amazon, with hundreds of people leaving fivestar reviews.
Warner said it’s often hard to get noticed as a first-time author and, like many writers, he said he had trouble breaking through before this.
“I certainly never thought I would hit 1,000, let alone the numbers I’ve reached now,” he said. “It’s just amazing.”
Beyond TikTok’s virality, Warner said reading the comments and reviews of her book on Amazon has been a validating experience.
One guy saw another guy sitting there bored and just trying to sell his stuff and just came over to say hi out of an act of kindness.
-Author Shawn Warner
“People are enjoying the book for its own sake, and that means a lot to me,” he said.
Warner wasn’t an avid social media user before, but he joined TikTok to respond to his followers on the platform. While the attention has been overwhelming, Warner said he is grateful for the “outpouring of love and generosity.”
“One guy saw another guy sitting there bored and just trying to sell his stuff, and he just came over to say hi out of an act of kindness,” Warner said. “And that one person act triggered a tsunami of generosity afterwards.”
Based on reader requests, Warner and his publisher are working on creating an audiobook for the novel, as well as translated editions for international readers. He is also working on his next book.
TikTok has proven to be a powerful tool for smaller authors in the past. In February, Lloyd Devereux Richards’ novel “Stone Maidens” became the best-selling book in the serial killer and thriller genre on Amazon after his daughter published a Tik Tok, that went viral about it.
