A retired Texas veteran became a bestselling author overnight after a TikTok video of him selling books at Kroger went viral
- A retired veteran's mystery novel became a bestseller after it went viral on TikTok.
- Shawn Warner said the video going viral was an "amazing thing that happened."
A Texas man's mystery novel became a bestseller overnight after a TikToker posted a video of him selling copies of the book at a table inside a grocery store.
Shawn Warner's book "Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor" follows the story of an orphaned girl who uses the help of ghostly companions to solve the murder of her parents, according to Warner's website.
Warner is a retired veteran and father of two who is living out his "childhood dream" of being a writer, his author profile says.
TikToker Jerrad Swearenjin, who uses the username @internetfamouslol, posted a video of Warner selling copies of his book inside a Kroger store in Texas, which has more than 18 million views at the time of writing.
"I was just shopping when I noticed this man trying to promote his new book," Swearenjin wrote in the caption. "I honestly don't even read books nowadays. But something told me to get a couple."
TikTok has become one of the biggest modern purveyors of culture in recent years. Songs that gain popularity on TikTok have dominated music charts and many spawned creative dances to accompany them.
The push to make music and artists profitable on TikTok has permeated the music industry to such a degree that some marketers and songwriters say they're exhausted trying to meet the demand.
More recently the social media outlet has also become a way for authors to find new audiences through the rise of BookTok, a community of authors and book lovers. In February, Lloyd Richards' daughter turned his 2012 fantasy novel "Stone Maidens" into a bestseller after she posted a TikTok about the book that got millions of views.
Warner posted a follow-up video on TikTok where he said that he was now talking to his publisher about putting out an audiobook and was planning to put out a hard copy version. On Amazon, the book is the #1 best seller in teen and young adult detective story ebooks.
"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," Warner says in the video. "It was just an amazing thing that happened after that and it's all thanks to you for your kindness and generosity."
Warner did not immediately return Insider's request for comment Sunday.