Texas veteran became an overnight bestselling author

According to his author profile, Warner is a retired veteran and father of two who is pursuing his "childhood dream" of being a writer.

on Jul 11, 2023

Texas veteran became an overnight bestselling author

After a TikToker shared a video of a Texas man selling the book at a table inside a grocery store, the mystery novel he wrote became an overnight blockbuster.

According to Shawn Warner's website, his book "Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor" tells the tale of an orphaned child who uses the assistance of ghostly allies to uncover the murder of her parents.

According to his author profile, Warner is a retired veteran and father of two who is pursuing his "childhood dream" of being a writer.

A video of Warner selling copies of his book inside a Texas Kroger store was shared on TikTok by Jerrad Swearenjin, who goes by the nickname @internetfamouslol. The video has had more than 18 million views now.

In recent years, TikTok has grown to be one of the largest contemporary cultural distributors. Many of the songs that become popular on TikTok go on to dominate music charts and inspire inventive dances.

The growth of BookTok, a community of authors and book lovers, has transformed the social media platform into a means for authors to discover new audiences. In February, after posting a TikTok about the book that received millions of views, Lloyd Richards' daughter helped make his fantasy novel "Stone Maidens" from 2012 into a bestseller.

In a video Shawn Warner expressed his gratitude for the overnight success, "When Red came up and talked to me, I was just so eager to talk to anybody at that point because there had been a lull in my sales. It was just an amazing thing that happened after that and it's all thanks to you for your kindness and generosity."