Texas Author Becomes Overnight Bestseller After Video of Him Trying to Sell His Books at a Store Goes Viral
“When [Swearenjin] came up and talked to me, I was just so eager to talk to anybody at that point... And it was just an amazing thing that happened after,' author Shawn Warner said
A man from Texas who published his first book became a best-selling author overnight after a video of him selling his new book at a local store went viral earlier this week.
TikToker Red or “internetfamouslol,” who was identified by the New York Post as Jerrad Swearenjin, captured a video of the author, Shawn Warner, sitting alone at a table with a stack of his books in front of him in a Texas Kroger store as he and another man went up to him to inquire about his books.
Swearenjin wrote on the TikTok, “This new author seemed super defeated when I first walked past him. So before I left the store, I decided to go back.”
Warner, 58, a former army veteran and engineer, said he decided to pursue his “childhood dream” of becoming a writer despite naysayers telling him throughout his life, “you can’t make a living out of doing that,” according to his website. He published his first book Leigh Howard And The Ghosts Of Simmons-Pierce Manor in November, 2022
In the video, the author could be seen discussing the premise of the book, which he said is about a “girl who teams up with a ghost with multiple personalities to solve the mystery of her parents’ murder.”
“I just wanted to show a stranger some kindness,” Swearenjin wrote as Warner further chatted with the guy about the book. “I imagined all the times I worked so hard and never got any recognition.”
Warner’s face could be seen gradually brightening up in the video as the man told him that he was interested in his books and was happy to “support a local author.”
After asking Warner what inspired him to do murder mysteries, Swearenjin told him that he did some “TikToking” and wanted to get a second book signed by Warner that he could give away to his followers.
Related: Beloved YA Books That Have Been Adapted Into Films
“I’m gonna gift it and see we can get you a little love on there,” he said, to which Warner joked, “Okay, I won’t say no.”
That video went viral with over 17.6 million views, 3.1 million likes and over 22,000 comments, with many people noting that they wanted to get the book.
Swearenjin posted a follow up TikTok a day later revealing that Warner’s first book, which had just two reviews on Amazon before the video, had amassed nearly 200 reviews and that Warner had become a “number one best-selling author on Amazon.”
Warner posted a video to his TikTok addressing what happened. “I wanted to thank everybody for the love and kindness for the video that [Swearenjin] posted. It was totally unexpected. I’m in shock… I don’t even know what to say at the moment.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In a separate TikTok announcing that his book would be coming out on hardcover and would become an audiobook, he got emotional discussing his outpouring of love and support from people around the world for his first book.
“You know when [Swearenjin] came up and talked to me, I was just so eager to talk to anybody at that point because there was a lull in my sales. And it was just an amazing thing that happened after that and it’s all on you for your kindness and generosity. Thank you,” he said while tearing up.
“I set out to write books that are fun to read. What's happened has been beyond my imagination,” he captioned the video. “I'm so grateful.”
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
