Pan Macmillan scores rights to rugby player Ben Youngs’ autobiography
Pan Macmillan has successfully tackled the rights to the autobiography of rugby player Ben Youngs in a competitive auction.
Titled Beyond the Line: My Life in Rugby, former Pan Macmillan commissioning editor, Ause Abdelhaq, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Nick Walters at David Luxton Associates in collaboration with Ben Lewitt at Owl Sporting Group.
The memoir will be published in hardback, e-book and audiobook in September 2025, accompanied by a national tour, including signings and events across the UK. The audiobook will also be read by Youngs.
His autobiography will tell the story of the past 15 years of English rugby through his own journey and experience. Going beyond the world of rugby, it also reveals the dark times he went through when his family was ripped apart by the deaths of both his sister-in-law and his brother-in-law.
Youngs is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum half for the Premiership rugby club Leicester Tigers and is the all-time appearance record-holder for the England national team.
Youngs said: "As I approach the last few games of my rugby career, it has been so rewarding to reflect back on it and tell my story in this book. I’ve tried to give readers an honest insight into my life, as well as the rugby environments I have experienced and the characters I’ve shared it with. The team at Pan Macmillan have been great to work with and I’m looking forward so much to seeing the finished product."
Abdelhaq said: "Ben is one of English rugby’s all-time greatest servants. He is a singular man – incredibly down-to-earth, hard-working and hugely funny. I’m honoured that I got the chance to work so closely with him, and to edit his remarkable memoir."
