Renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump has signed a seven-figure deal to publish a crime novel series with Bantam Books.
Under the agreement, Bantam Books will publish the first two installments in a crime series by Crump, who has won significant settlements for the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Henrietta Lacks, the residents of Flint, Michigan, and several others.
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The series centers on Beau Lee Cooper, a black civil rights attorney who “takes on heartbreaking cases of corruption and injustice while celebrating the love, joy and resilience of black people.” As explained in a press release, the two novels are based on Crump’s decades of courtroom experience and personal revelations. They were written to “emphasize the power of blood and community bonds in the face of violence and offer hope for a better future.”
“I think it’s important to introduce the world to a charismatic figure who shows the realities of the legal landscape and justice system through the eyes and experiences of the marginalized and voiceless,” Crump said in a statement. “A person of color who allows readers to immerse themselves in a sprawling universe of characters they might never otherwise notice or understand, and in the process hopefully inspires them to expand their horizons and even decide to play a role in moving society toward true justice for all.”
North American publishing rights were sold by Cameron S. Mitchell of UTA and Artistry Collective to Bantam Books Editor-in-Chief Jenny Chen.
The book deal is Crump’s latest foray into entertainment. He was the subject of the 2022 Netflix documentary “Civil,” and earlier this year produced and narrated a documentary short film titled “How to Sue the Klan: The Story of the Chattanooga Five.” The short tells the story of five Black women from Chattanooga who took on the Ku Klux Klan in a historic civil case in 1982, fighting to hold it accountable for its crimes and bring justice to their community. Ultimately, their victory set a legal precedent that inspires the ongoing fight against organized hate to this day. “How to Sue the Klan” was an official selection at the Social Justice Now Film Festival in February and will screen at the ABFF and Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival later this year.
Bantam Books is an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Crump is represented by UTA and managed by Mitchell of Artistry Collective.
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