Buttafuoco Between the Covers: Any Publishers Interested?

The long wait may finally be over. The world's most famous auto-mechanic, Joey Buttafuoco, is finally ready to deliver a tell-all book, says his publicist David Hans Schmidt.

Buttafuoco, Humbert Humbert to Amy Fisher's Long Island Lolita, wants to pen a book that's part memoir, part exposé, showing how supposed corruption in the Nassau County government led to his prosecution and eventual conviction on a statutory rape charge, says Schmidt. The Phoenix-based publicist, who himself received some unsavory press when he attempted to sell nude pictures of Amber Frey to Hustler in 2003, says publishers have expressed interest in the book, but declined to name names.

Buttafuoco, who became a notorious celebrity in 1992 after his teenage girlfriend shot his then-wife, Mary Jo, in the face, has had only limited success in parlaying his 15 minutes of fame into a career in entertainment. His credits include mixing it up in a 2002 episode of Celebrity Boxing 2, small roles in films like the 2004 Skin Walker and a short-lived run as host of his own Los Angeles public access talk show. His literary ambitions haven't dampened his on-screen aspirations, though. Buttafuoco, who is set to wed tomorrow (March 5) in Las Vegas, is also working with Schmidt to arrange a televised reunion with Fisher and his ex-wife.

For her part, Fisher is two books up on her former lover. Amy Fisher: My Story (Pocket Books) was published in 1993. She then self-published If I Knew Then, with iUniverse, on Sept. 1, 2004. According to Nielsen BookScan, the title hit a one-week high of 3,000 copies for the week ending Oct. 10, 2004. A great success, landing on national bestseller lists, If I Knew Then also sold a number of copies through non-traditional outlets.

Though 12 years have passed since the infamous event that turned his client into tabloid grist, Schmidt insists that the Buttafuoco story will "always be big," adding that there remain "uncovered aspects" of it. Asked why Buttafuoco waited more than a decade to offer up his tell-all, the publicist says: "Not everybody is out to prostitute themselves and everyone around them."