Viral TikTok boosts father's thriller book to bestseller

[Social Media]

Lloyd Devereux Richards, a full time attorney and father of three, spent 14 years pursuing his dream of writing a book, and the next 11 years hoping for the thriller to take off.

It did not, until last week when his daughter posted a 16-second TikTok video with a simple message: "I'd love for him to get some sales."

The book jumped to No. 1 on Amazon's Serial Killer Thrillers list.

Her dad's response was: "I'm ready for a nap."

The viral video, which details Mr Richards' long journey to finishing the novel, Stone Maidens, has garnered more than 40 million views.

TikTok, a short-form video hosting platform, has helped fuel sales of hundreds of books in recent years, including through the hashtag #BookTok, which readers use to discuss their favourite authors and book picks. In 2021 alone, BookTok helped authors sell 20 million printed books, according to a New York Times report.