Unlikely book hits No. 1 on Amazon after daughter’s TikTok showed dad’s toil, low sales

For 14 years, Lloyd Devereux Richards got up early, stayed up late and worked weekends to write a book, juggling his passion with a high-demand job as a corporate attorney and raising three kids.

At last, Richards’ book, “Stone Maidens,” published in 2012. Modest sales followed.

And then on Feb. 8, “Stone Maidens” became an overnight success, all because of a 17-second TikTok that Richards’ daughter posted about her dad and his labor of love. 

“My dad spent 14 years writing a book,” the video described as it showed Richards at work in his attic office. “He worked full time and his kids came first. But (he) made time for his book. He’s so happy even though sales aren’t great. I’d love for him to get some sales. He doesn’t even know what TikTok is.”

The video changed Richards’ life almost overnight.

Since it was posted, the has amassed a whopping 45 million views.

“Stone Maidens” skyrocketed to Amazon’s No. 1-selling serial killer thriller and became last week’s top seller, with a high review rating of 4.8 stars. Richards is now in negotiations over his second book, and Hollywood studios are talking to his literary agent about movie deals.