The internet is a strange yet wonderful place. In a recent incident, a video of a man who published his debut book recently and was trying hard to sell it at a store went viral on the internet. The next day, the man became a bestselling author!
This amazing story is of a Texas writer named Shawn Warner, 58, who was sitting alone at a table with his books at a store. That's when Jerrad Swearenjin, who is known on TikTok as Red or “internetfamouslol”, noticed Warner. Swearenjin along with his friend approached the writer and enquired about his books.
The TikToker filmed the whole incident and later posted the video on the social media platform with the caption, “This new author seemed super defeated when I first walked past him. So before I left the store, I decided to go back... I just wanted to show a stranger some kindness... I imagined all the times I worked so hard and never got any recognition.”
In the now viral video, one can see Warner sitting alone at the bookstore, waiting for people to buy his books. When Swearenjin and his friend ask the author about his books and writing, Warner's face brightens up. Telling the premise of his book, Warner says that it is about a “girl who teams up with a ghost with multiple personalities to solve the mystery of her parents’ murder.” Warner is a YA author, as per his social media profile.
Swearenjin's video was posted last week on TikTok and it soon became viral with over 17.6 million views and thousand of likes and comments. Moreover, many people were touched by Warner's story and decided to support his writing by purchasing his book. So much so, that Warner became an overnight bestselling author on Amazon (US)!
'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",' reported People.
Thanking netizens for their love and support, an emotional Warner later posted a video on his TikTok. "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... I set out to write books that are fun to read. What's happened has been beyond my imagination. I'm so grateful,” Warner said.
