Man’s Novel Becomes Bestseller 10 Years After Its Release Thanks to Daughter Promoting it Online | “I Can’t Believe It”

Social media decides hits and misses for our age. Lloyd Devereux Richards is a bestselling author now, more than a decade after publishing his first novel, a thriller titled Stone Maidens. But the road to publishing success was difficult for the 74-year-old father of three from Vermont until his daughter came up with a plan to get his book the attention she felt it deserved, according to The Washington Post. 

Stone Maidens was published by Thomas & Mercer in November 2012, about 14 years after Lloyd began writing the book, the paper reported. The book was reportedly inspired by the series of crimes where women went missing in the Midwest in the mid-1970s when Lloyd attended law school at Indiana University, per PEOPLE. Unfortunately for Lloyd, Stone Maidens did not attract readers when it was initially released. But his 40-year-old daughter decided to not give up on her father's dream.

Earlier this month, Marguerite Richards went ahead and made a social media account on her father's behalf with the goal of promoting his novel. "It was such a great book, and I knew how important it was to him," Marguerite told the Post, later adding, "I thought maybe it's just because nobody knows about the book." 

Lloyd was skeptical initially and said, “Well, what’s that going to do?" “Believe me, Dad,” responded Marguerite, 40, “just trust me.” “My dad spent 14 years writing a book,” she wrote on top of the video. “He worked full time and his kids came first. But making time for his book.” The first video she created about her father's story was viewed more than 43 million times and received more than 9.6 million likes. "He's so happy even though sales aren't great," she wrote in the clip. "I'd love for him to get some sales."

Since that day, Stone Maidens has sold out on Amazon and reached No. 1 on the site's bestseller list, as per the Post's report. Marguerite shared how her father reacted to his success. In a second video, which has been liked more than 1.4 million times, Lloyd is seen speechless in the clip as he pores over the praise. "Oh my gosh," he said in the clip, to which his daughter responded, "I love you, dad!"

They also hug each other in the video and Lloyd tells his daughter, "Thank you."

The last few days have been a whirlwind for the writer. Lloyd reflected on his success earlier this week in another video posted by Marguerite. "These last couple of days, I can't understand it," he said as they drink milkshakes in celebration. "I feel blessed, you know?"

Lloyd has not kept writing aside, in fact, he has been working on a sequel for nearly five years, according to The Washington Post. Speaking with the paper, Lloyd credited his daughter for his current success. "I'm grateful. I'm very happy," he said. "I just can't believe it."

References:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/02/15/stone-maidens-tiktok-book-amazon/

https://people.com/human-interest/vermont-man-book-becomes-bestseller-10-years-after-release-thanks-to-daughters-tiktok/

Cover Image Source: (L) Youtube | Pegasus; (R) Amazon | Stone Maidens