Lloyd Devereux Richards spent 14 years of his life writing a book called Stone Maidens, a “compulsively readable whodunnit” that was first published in 2012. Despite his efforts, the book didn’t sell well, but Mr. Richards was content just to have finished writing it. However, his daughter had other plans.
Mr. Richards’ daughter created a TikTok account called @stonemaidens to help promote her father’s book. In a 16-second video, she shared that her father always prioritized family over his writing career, and even though it took him 14 years to write the book, he was still content even with its lackluster sales. Using the hashtag #booktok, the daughter appealed to viewers to help boost her father’s book sales, and the video went viral, reaching 42.2 million views.
The TikTok video led to Stone Maidens becoming the No. 1 Best Thriller on Amazon’s list. Mr. Richards was overwhelmed by the success of the video and book sales, which moved him to tears while reading the comments section of the TikTok post. Fans on TikTok praised both the book and Mr. Richards’ story, which gained attention due to his background as a senior law clerk for an Indiana Court of Appeals judge, where he gained true crime expertise.
Mr. Richards is now working on a sequel to Stone Maidens, as mentioned in his Amazon biography. The story of Stone Maidens is an example of how a small idea can lead to an enormous impact when given the right platform. This success story highlights the power of social media in promoting creativity and independent content.
A 16-second TikTok video helped a book go viral and led to its success.
The video reached 42.2 million views and made Stone Maidens the No. 1 Best Thriller on Amazon’s list.
The author, Lloyd Devereux Richards, was overwhelmed by the book’s success and moved to tears by the comments on the TikTok post.
The story of Stone Maidens is an example of how a small idea can lead to an enormous impact when given the right platform.
