Jimmy Donaldson is best known to his hundreds of millions of online followers as Mrbeast, but he leverages his vast social media audience to sell everything from beast branded burgers, snack packs, chocolate bars, water bottles, toys, basketball and $65 Hardy.
Now he aims to sell his followers almost new products, novels.
Donaldson will be released globally in 15 languages simultaneously in 2026 in collaboration with mega bestselling author Jame Spartan in a thriller published by Harpercollins. This plot sounds like an over-the-top version of one of Mrbeast's viral YouTube videos. This is a competition that often offers huge amounts of cash to contestants who may win an absurd challenge (“100 days of survival, win $500,000”).
The novel focuses on an extreme global contest in which 100 players compete to prove their leadership skills by surviving life-threatening tests in dangerous places around the world. In the fight to win billion-dollar awards, participants struggle to avoid exclusion and death, forming relationships and betraying each other.
The fight to land the project has also turned into fierce competition among publishers who were intrigued by the potential of viral marketing to sign a social media star with 500 million followers. News of the collaboration began circulating in March, along with reports of a fierce bid war with offers in the eight-digit range. HarperCollins did not disclose financial details of the contract negotiated by Williams & Connolly's Robert Burnett and Denine Howell on behalf of Patterson.
It is unclear whether Mrbeast's large online audience will be converted to book sales. For decades, publishers have tried to leverage the marketing power of social media stars, and have achieved a range of successes. However, Mrbeast is a star of different sizes.
“He is a very smart operator in understanding social media algorithms, what drives engagement and what drives revitalization,” said Brian Murray, president and CEO of HarperCollins. “One of the challenges we pose with publishing is that there is so much noise in the media and entertainment situation and it can be difficult to try and break through a book.”
Donaldson rose to fame online with his videos of stunts centered around the Daredevil Spectacle (“Surviving 5 Fatal Places on Earth”, “I paid a Real Assassin to Try to Kill Me”) and guerilla-style charity efforts (“Tilting a Waitress with a Real Gold Stick”, “Random Homeless Man $10,000”). His formula is extremely popular and attracts around 390 million YouTube subscribers. One of his biggest videos posted in 2021, “Real Life's $456,000 Squid Game,” has over 788 million views.
His approach often spent a lot of money on feeding people to extreme stunts – attracting criticism from skeptics and contestants. Last year, a group of people who participated in Donaldson's reality competition show, “The Beast Game,” sued Donaldson and the production company behind the show, accusing the competitor of exposing them to “dangerous situations and circumstances.” However, the objections and lawsuits do not hinder Donaldson's business growth or his ambitions.
In a statement released through Harper Collins, Donaldson said he was drawn to writing fiction because he wanted to encourage audiences and others to read the goals he shared with Patterson, who has launched and funded literacy programs for younger readers. “We are both passionate about inspiring people all over the world to read more, and we hope this will open the door for other creators who want to be published,” Donaldson said.
After Donaldson told his UTA agents he wanted to expand into fiction, they introduced him to Patterson, a writer of blockbusters and one of Donaldson's favorite authors. Patterson visited Donaldson at his studio in Greenville, North Carolina, where he spent several hours discussing the ideas and eventually settled on the thriller concept that was found in Mrbeast's brand.
Patterson has worked with high-profile figures before Bill Clinton, Viola Davis and Dolly Parton. To date, his novels are reportedly sold over 400 million copies. However, MrBeast collaboration offers access to a vast new audience of young readers raised on social media.
Mrbeast's novel, which has yet to have a title or release date, will be published in the US by Harpercollins imprint William Morrow.
In a meeting with Harpercollins executives, Murray said Donaldson was keen to use his online influence to sell books in creative ways.
“He's an incredible young entrepreneur,” he said. “He's like this: Failure is not an option. I'm going to move these things.”
