MrBeast Is Writing A Novel: What To Know

MrBeast has a new business venture: he’s writing a novel. The YouTuber has teamed up with best-selling author, James Patterson. This is what we know so far.

Newsweek has reached out to MrBeast via email for comment.

Why It Matters

MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, has long cemented his position as the most popular YouTuber in the world, with 391 million subscribers on YouTube as of reporting. Since launching his career, he has built up a reputation for content involving big-budget, elaborate stunts and charitable acts, including giving away cash, houses and cars.

Patterson is one of the most commercially successful authors of all time. His books have sold over 400 million copies and frequently top the New York Times bestseller list.

What To Know

MrBeast is no stranger to selling products to his vast online following, from Beast-branded burgers to chocolate bars and hoodies. Now, he’s got his sights on the world of literature.

As for the novel’s plot? Described by Harper Collins as “A high-octane, pulse-pounding thriller,” it sounds like a dystopian thriller for the YouTube era, somewhere between The Hunger Games and The Lord of the Flies.

It will center on an extreme global contest, where 100 players will compete to prove their leadership skills through surviving life-threatening tests in dangerous locations around the world.

Contestants will battle to win a billion-dollar prize, and participants will form relationships, betray each other, and struggle to avoid elimination or death.

Published by HarperCollins with a simultaneous global release in 15 languages, news of the collaboration started circulating in March, with reports of a bidding war where offers were in the eight-figure range. HarperCollins has not disclosed financial details of the deal.

In a press release, MrBeast said that he is “pumped” to be teaming up with Patterson, adding, “We’re both passionate about inspiring people around the world to read more.”

Patterson, for his part, said that he thinks the book is “going to turn on readers all over the world.”

What People Are Saying

MrBeast in a post on X: “I’m excited to work with James Patterson, the GOAT of thrillers. We’ve been cooking a really unique story together and I can’t wait to see your reactions! It’s been fun to work on a different medium outside videos.”

Brian Murray, President and CEO of HarperCollins, in a press release: “In the age of social media, storytelling has the power to travel the globe in an instant—and when the world’s #1 thriller writer and the #1 social media creator come together to write a book, it demands a global, simultaneous release.”