Success Story: How This Romance Author made $10,000 in under a week by using AuthorScale to run her TikTok Accounts.
For many aspiring authors, the dream of hitting it big—landing on readers’ radars, seeing sales surge overnight, and even signing coveted audiobook deals—feels like a distant fantasy. But for Genesis, a romance author who writes across a variety of subgenres such as bully romance, Omegaverse, and dark romance, that dream recently became a reality. In under a week, she generated over $10,000 in royalties, and it all started with a single viral TikTok post.
We recently sat down with Genesis to learn more about her journey. It’s not just a story of overnight success, though. It’s about persistence, experimentation, and the willingness to embrace new tools and platforms—even after seeing little initial return.
From Steady to Skyrocketing Sales
Genesis has been writing fiction since childhood and has worked professionally as a freelance writer for over two decades. She first began self-publishing her romance novels in 2019. Initially, her earnings hovered around a modest $1,000–$1,500 per month—a decent side income, but not life-changing. Then, as client work took precedence, her novel output slowed, and so did sales.
Recently, determined to refocus on her own writing, Genesis returned to regular publishing. She decided to take a fresh look at marketing, particularly TikTok. While for months, views remained in the low hundreds, a single change sparked a shift: she began using AuthorScale, a tool that generates compelling hooks and visually engaging slides quickly and easily. Suddenly, one of her TikTok posts shot up to 144,000 views. Virtually overnight, her Amazon rankings soared, and what used to be a few hundred dollars in monthly royalties ballooned into five figures within a week.
The Power of BookTok and ‘Hooks’
For a long time, Genesis struggled with marketing. She tried Canva to create quick videos and slides, spending countless hours crafting a single post—sourcing images, writing hooks, and then manually uploading. The result? Steady but unimpressive engagement, usually in the low hundreds of views.
With AuthorScale, everything changed. Instead of spending an hour per video, she could create four to six posts per day in mere minutes. AuthorScale’s system provided ready-made, captivating hooks that grabbed attention and resonated with readers. Genesis noticed a critical pattern: longer slideshows—sometimes 20 to 25 slides—kept viewers engaged longer. This extra screen time pushed the TikTok algorithm to show her content to even more potential readers, resulting in a flood of new eyeballs on her work.
Why Volume and Consistency Trump Perfection
Genesis’s viral post wasn’t the product of hours spent tweaking or polishing. In fact, she spent roughly ten seconds reviewing the generated hooks, deleted one slide that didn’t fit, and posted. That’s it. The video took off, and by the following morning, she had more than doubled her typical monthly income. By the end of the week, she had exceeded $10,000 in royalties. In her words, “I don’t see the point in spending a lot of time [on perfection]. My book is where I put all my time and care. The TikTok posts are just a way to reach readers.”
This approach upends the notion that every piece of marketing content must be a meticulously crafted masterpiece. Instead, it’s a numbers game. Experimentation, rapid iteration, and constant posting win out. By posting frequently—three, four, or even six times a day—Genesis drastically improved her odds of appearing in more For You pages, ultimately finding the viral spark she needed.
Beyond the Viral Spike
The best part? The success didn’t fizzle out. High rankings led to more readers, more reviews, and eventually greater visibility on Amazon. Podium, a respected audiobook production company, reached out, and Genesis just signed her first audiobook contract. The momentum from one viral post continues to open doors, prove social credibility, and build excitement around her brand.
Advice for Other Authors
For authors on the fence about social media marketing, Genesis’s story is a reminder: virality can’t be predicted, but it rewards persistence. The key is to keep showing up. Even after a year of low engagement, she stuck with BookTok and tried new tactics until something clicked. Her advice? “Just keep going. It might feel like you’re getting nowhere, but all it takes is one post to change everything.”
Where to Next?
Genesis is now managing multiple TikTok accounts, releasing new books, and considering hiring an assistant. She’s living proof that authors can achieve life-changing results through organic social media marketing when paired with a powerful content-generation tool. Her journey is still unfolding, but one thing is clear: this is only the beginning.
If you have questions for Genesis, she’s generously agreed to participate in a Q&A within the AuthorScale community. Come ask your burning questions, learn about her process, and apply her insights to your own author career.
Final Takeaway
In today’s digital marketplace, writing a great novel is just the start. With the right mindset, the right tools, and a willingness to experiment, you too can harness the power of BookTok. Genesis’s story proves that no matter how saturated the market might seem, there’s always a chance to break through—and sometimes, all it takes is 10 seconds of courage and one viral video.