Author shares tweet about no one buying her books at event — the internet makes them best sellers overnight

Every author dreams of being known as a bestselling storyteller when they publish their books. However, the fiction market is highly saturated, leaving many talented authors without the exposure they deserve. British author Vicky Ball, who has written two novels titled "Powerless" and "Abandoned," faced a similar struggle and found little success among readers. That changed dramatically after she made a simple post on her X handle, @VickyBall3.

Ball took to her X page to announce that she had set up a stall at an author's event on December 3, 2024, at Galleywood Heritage Centre in Chelmsford, Essex, as reported by The Independent. The 48-year-old author showcased her two novels from behind a simple table. "Sold two books," she wrote with excitement on her X page. "I've done some events where I haven't sold any." Unexpectedly, her post gained immense traction online, with readers flooding her with support. Within days, her post garnered over 24 million views, and "Powerless" scaled the charts of Amazon's bestsellers and finished at No. 3 on the list.

The novel follows a missing girl's return and promises a thriller with "lots of twists." It has found a place in Amazon's "Teen and Young Adult Fiction on Sexual Abuse" category. Ball was interviewed by BBC after her overnight success. "I was completely surprised, really and it was all a bit overwhelming—I was just amazed and couldn't believe it," she told the outlet. "I've been getting messages on Instagram of people saying, 'I'm in Colombia and just bought your book,' 'I'm in Salt Lake City,' 'I'm in Belgium.' It's amazing really," she mentioned to The Guardian. Besides being an author, Ball is pursuing her master's degree in creative writing at the University of Essex.

During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, Ball began writing her novel "Powerless" while working as a teacher at the same university. She shared that writing became an outlet during this challenging time, providing her with both purpose and a distraction from the stress and isolation. "Just write! I just go with it. It's like a journey, and I really enjoy the process. You never know where it's going to go," she shared, offering advice to aspiring writers. Ball's second novel, "Abandoned," tells the story of an alcoholic mother with a dark secret.

Despite her sudden success, Ball remains focused on her writing and engaging with the supportive writers' and readers' community on X. "Social media can be a really positive place, especially on X because there's a big writing community and we are very supportive of each other," she said. "I'm quite happy at the moment doing a master's in creative writing and working at the university, but I have some ideas for some other books in the pipeline."

People flooded the comment section of her X post, sharing their well wishes and support for Ball. @GoProFun commented, "Many others were influenced and are now thinking about it and will simply make their purchase later. I'm sure you know!" @hanakoluvrazor wrote, "Oh, Ms. Vicky, if I have a chance, I would like to buy, read your books and meet you one day! Have a lovely day." @Z_Gottlieb cheered, "Congratulations, may you double, triple, quadruple and more your sales at the book event." @UltramanOsa added, "You'll end up becoming a millionaire at this rate. I'm happy for you! Best of luck!"