MrBeast is the king of stunts. His next big challenge? Convincing his more than 500 million YouTube subscribers to log off and read a book.
On Tuesday, the content creator released his first novel, “The Most Dangerous Games,” co-written with bestselling author James Patterson. As of Tuesday morning, the book was available for pre-sale and ranked No. 12 on Amazon’s new releases list. It was number 73 on Amazon’s overall book list.
“If the MrBeast name is attached to a book, it will gain a lot of immediate fame and interest,” says Matt Kaye, co-founder and CEO of Bindery Books, a book publisher that partners with creators and other tastemakers to launch imprints tailor-made for their fans.
“We’ll see if the people in his audience who try it love it enough to recommend it to other people,” Kaye said. “No matter how big the name, the long-term success of a book lies in the extent to which readers love it and recommend it to each other.”
To attract readers, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldsonturns to one of his reliable marketing tactics: dangling a cash prize. Fans who buy the book can enter a contest he’s hosting in September for a chance to win a $1 million prize. The novel contains clues and hidden Easter eggs intended to help players compete in weekly elimination challenges, a company spokesperson said.
Book publishing is one of several business ventures the MrBeast team is testing as it looks to expand beyond YouTube. The company’s various bets include the Amazon Prime Video competition show “Beast Games,” selling chocolate bars through the candy brand Feastables and offering financial services after acquiring the company. Step banking app.
Influencer books have become increasingly popular. In the 2010s, a wave of content creators such as PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg), Lilly Singh, Shane Dawson and Zoella (Zoe Sugg) published chart topping works.
YouTube creator Lilly Singh promoted her book at an event in New York. Noam Galai/WireImage
The pipeline from creator to author has since calmed down, although the rise of BookToka social media community of readers and book recommenders, has reinvigorated creators’ interest in publishing.
“Books are having a moment again,” said Jeff Speich, an executive who oversees Range Media Partners’ publishing arm, Range Literary Publishing. “Everyone with a profile thinks about whether they have something to add to the space.”
While MrBeast has demonstrated he can promote just about anything to his fans. “The Most Dangerous Games” could also get a boost from its other celebrity author, Patterson, who over the past decade has helped books by Dolly Parton and former President Bill Clinton reach the top of The New York Times bestseller list.
“Publishers are looking for people who already have an established audience, whether they are authors, celebrities or big creators, to cut through the noise,” Kaye said. “Most books that are published fall into the void.”
