Texas Writer Becomes Bestseller Overnight, After His Video Of An Empty Book Signing Went Viral Online

Debut author Shawn Warner saw an overnight rise to fame after a TikTok video of him appearing “very defeated” at his book signing due to a lack of customers went viral on the internet.

The video of Shawn Warner was shared by Jerrad Swearenjin, aka Red (@internefamous).

Video went viral

The scene was captured on camera by the TikToker, who later shared the clip on social media 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 viral video, Warner can be seen waiting for book buyers while sitting alone at the bookstore. Warner’s face lights up as Swearenjin and his companion ask about the writer’s books and writing. Warner describes the narrative 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 parent’s murder.” According to his internet identity, Warner writes young adult books.

The video that Swearenjin shared on TikTok last week quickly went popular, receiving over 17.6 million views as well as thousands of likes and comments. In addition, a lot of people were touched by Warner’s tale and chose to support his writing by buying his book. Warner quickly rises to fame as a best-selling author on Amazon (US).

‘Swearenjin posted a follow-up TikTok a day later saying, “Warner’s first book, which had just two reviews on Amazon before the video, had collected nearly 200 reviews and that Warner had become a number one best-selling author on Amazon”.

Who is Shawn Warner ?

Shawn Warner, a military veteran from Arlington, Texas, worked as a pediatric mental health counselor for ten years after his retirement. He left the industry because he was dissatisfied with it and transitioned to computer and software engineering, where he worked for seven years before being fired.

The 58-year-old made the decision to follow his childhood passion of being a writer. He explained that many people opposed the idea, and made it difficult for him to take a decision. The murder mystery author wrote his book and released it in November 2022 with the support of his wife and kids.

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