He’s got chocolates, burgers, and snack packs. So why not a book too?
By
Chance Townsend
Chance Townsend
Assistant Editor, General Assignments
Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.
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In a collaboration that feels ripped from the simulation, MrBeast — YouTube’s reigning king of high-stakes philanthro-tainment — is partnering with thriller juggernaut James Patterson to release a novel.
Yes, you read that right. After a bidding war reportedly pushing into eight-figure territory, the mega-creator is making his literary debut with Patterson under the HarperCollins banner. Per Deadline, the book is a high-octane thriller centered on a global, life-or-death competition with a billion-dollar prize dangling at the end. In other words: a MrBeast video, but with chapters.
Deadline’s source claims the working title at the moment is The Most Dangerous Game — a not-so-subtle nod to the classic Richard Connell short story about a man hunted for sport by a wealthy Russian. That is not confirmed, however, and it appears other titles are under consideration.
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The book’s premise also wouldn’t be far off from what some contestants claimed they endured on MrBeast’s Amazon-backed game show, Beast Games. Ahead of the show’s release last year, participants alleged that Donaldson’s team subjected them to “dangerous circumstances and conditions.”
Still, controversy and legal threats haven’t derailed the MrBeast hype engine. In a statement via United Talent Agency, Donaldson said he’s long wanted to break into fiction — and it was his reps who connected him with Patterson.
The Alex Cross author turned out to be a natural match for the kind of story Donaldson had in mind. Together, they landed on a concept tailored perfectly to the MrBeast brand: high-stakes, high-drama, and engineered for maximum spectacle.
Assistant Editor, General Assignments
Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.
In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].
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