{"id":1245574,"date":"2026-02-25T12:21:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T17:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?p=1245574"},"modified":"2026-02-25T14:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T19:12:08","slug":"ben-crump-worse-lie-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/ben-crump-worse-lie-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Crump’s Debut Novel Delivers Big Wins for Black Independent Booksellers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Attorney Ben Crump\u2019s first foray into crime fiction is delivering more than courtroom drama. His debut novel \u201cWorse Than a Lie\u201d<\/a> is driving packed signings, sold-out shelves, and a measurable spike in revenue at Black-owned bookstores across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released Feb. 17, the legal thriller has translated into approximately 25,000 copies sold in pre-sales and in-store purchases during its first week, with several Black independent retailers reporting they exhausted their initial inventory shortly after hosting Crump tour events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than rely primarily on national chains, Crump partnered directly with Black-owned bookstores for signings, conversations, and community gatherings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin Johnson, founder and president of the National Association of Black Bookstores<\/a> and a former Sacramento mayor and NBA All-Star, said in a published report that the strategy behind the rollout carried real weight for independent retailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBen Crump has always used his voice to fight for justice. With this release, he also put action behind that voice,\u201d Johnson stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the stops were Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans<\/a>, Da Book Joint in Chicago<\/a>, the DMV\u2019s Mahogany Books<\/a>, Malik Books in Los Angeles<\/a>, Marcus Books in Oakland<\/a>, The Dock Bookshop in the Dallas-Fort Worth area<\/a>, and Underground Books in Sacramento<\/a>. Stores in cities including Tallahassee, Florida; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Los Angeles and Oakland, California; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Miami Gardens, Florida; and Dallas, Texas also reported record levels of support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surge comes at a time when Black-owned bookstores have steadily rebuilt their footprint nationwide. According to the African American Literature Book Club<\/a>, nearly 180 Black-owned bookstores now operate across the United States, up from just 54 in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy facilitating purchases of his book through the National Association of Black Bookstores, he ensured that independent Black-owned bookstores across the country directly benefited,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThat kind of intentional support matters. It strengthens businesses, families, and the cultural institutions that help tell our stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Inspiration Behind ‘Worse Than a Lie<\/strong>‘<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The novel launches a new series centered on Beau Lee Cooper, a lawyer drawn into a case that begins with a violent traffic stop and spirals into a battle over truth and justice inside the criminal legal system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story opens on Nov. 4, 2008, as the nation celebrates the election of its first Black president, while a 53-year-old Black former police officer, Hollis Montrose, is shot 10 times during a traffic stop and later charged and imprisoned after what is described as a wrongful conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crump said the shift to fiction grew naturally from his work as a trial attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat trial lawyers do on a regular basis is we tell engaging stories to juries, and in my case, juries all across America,\u201d Crump stated. \u201cAnd so oftentimes, I find myself taking notes when I see things or observe different cases to tell the next story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also traced his inspiration back to early influences, such as the \u201cPerry Mason\u201d series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd so that was the impetus for me to write \u2018Worse than a Lie,\u2019 knowing that the old \u2018Perry Mason\u2019 [series were] books, I watched this TV show with my grandmother, and that kind of inspired me when I was young,\u201d Crump remarked. \u201cAnd then as we got older, the John Grisham books and the \u2018Lincoln Lawyer\u2019 books. So, all those things led me to saying, \u2018we are going to tell a different kind of story, a civil rights legal thriller.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Crump, the impact extends beyond the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we support Black bookstores, we are investing in literacy, legacy, and liberation,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are invaluable community centers that host author talks, youth programs, civic dialogue, and cultural gatherings, all while honoring our past, present, and future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attorney Ben Crump’s debut novel “Worse Than a Lie” has driven packed signings, sold-out shelves, and a measurable spike in revenue at Black-owned bookstores across the country, with several retailers reporting they exhausted their initial inventory shortly after hosting Crump tour events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2327,"featured_media":1245575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_primary_brand":0,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","nota_seo_page_title":"Crump's novel sells 25K copies, supports Black bookstores","nota_seo_page_description":"Attorney Ben Crump's debut novel 'Worse Than a Lie' boosts Black-owned bookstores, sells 25,000 copies, and sparks conversations on justice.","newspack_featured_image_position":"small","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30845,3,7,45775],"tags":[88488,52515,88489,2294,29735],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"nota":[],"coauthors":[53509],"class_list":["post-1245574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-business","category-national-news","category-stacy-m-brown","tag-beau-lee-cooper","tag-ben-crump","tag-hollis-montrose","tag-kevin-johnson","tag-stacy-m-brown","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nCrump's novel sells 25K copies, supports Black bookstores - The Washington Informer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Attorney Ben Crump's debut novel 'Worse Than a Lie' boosts Black-owned bookstores, sells 25,000 copies, and sparks conversations on justice.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/ben-crump-worse-lie-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crump's Debut Novel Delivers Big Wins for Black Independent Booksellers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Attorney Ben Crump's debut novel 'Worse Than a Lie' boosts Black-owned bookstores, sells 25,000 copies, and sparks conversations on justice.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/ben-crump-worse-lie-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Washington Informer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StacyBrownMedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T17:21:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T19:12:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-127.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"959\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stacy M. 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