Viral TikTok boosts father's thriller book to bestseller

Lloyd Devereux Richards, a full time attorney and father of three, spent 14 years pursuing his dream of writing a book, and the next 11 years hoping for the thriller to take off.

It did not, until last week when his daughter posted a 16-second TikTok video with a simple message: "I'd love for him to get some sales."

The book hit No 1 on Amazon and led her dad to declare: "I'm ready for a nap."

The experience has proven why writers should never quit, he tells BBC News.

The viral video, which details Mr Richards' long journey to finishing the novel, Stone Maidens, has garnered more than 40 million views.

TikTok, a short-form video hosting platform, has helped fuel sales of hundreds of books in recent years, including through the hashtag #BookTok, which readers use to discuss their favourite authors and book picks. In 2021 alone, BookTok helped authors sell 20 million printed books, according to a New York Times report.

The news of his overnight fame has overwhelmed Mr Richards, who cried while reading the comments section of the TikTok post after his daughter told him it went viral.

His daughter Marguerite Richards cried, too, thanking fans for the purchases. "Because of them, you're number one," she told her dad.

"He doesn't even know what TikTok is," she added.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Richards said the "last week has been a whirlwind experience for me, truly mind blowing".

"However, I earnestly believe that it is most important for a writer to never take no for an answer, to persevere, and never, never give up." 

Mr Richards' daughter said her dad - who lives with his wife in Montpelier, Vermont - was content simply to have finished the novel, which was published in 2012, and tells the story of an FBI forensic anthropologist investigating a serial killer who strangles women and dumps their bodies in the ravines of southern Indiana.

Mr Richards garnered true crime expertise while serving as a senior law clerk for an Indiana judge researching and writing drafts for published opinions, including one on the appeal of a serial killer sentenced to death, according to his Amazon biography.

Fans on TikTok were quick to praise the book, as well as its author's story.

"I've never ordered something so fast in my life," one user said after seeing the heart-warming video.

But Mr Richards is not resting on his laurels. He is now working on a sequel to the book, according to his Amazon biography.