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Joe the Plumber becomes Joe the Writer after signing book deal

This article is more than 15 years old

Joe the Plumber will continue his tireless work on behalf of the American people after signing a book deal for a title about American values: Joe the Plumber - Fighting for the American Dream.

The book is being co-written with little-known novelist, Thomas Tabback. Joe the Plumber, real name Samuel Wurzelbacher, said he chose to turn his back on lucrative offers from the big publishers to go with a smaller firm to help "spread the wealth". PearlGate Publishing has previously published one book, says its website: Tabback's debut novel, Things Forgotten.

Wurzelbacher sprang to fame in October when he challenged Barack Obama about his tax proposals during the presidential campaign. Wurzelbacher said he had since been inundated with requests to pen his own book.

"Everyone came at me to write a book. They had dollar signs in their eyes - 101 Things Joe the Plumber Knows or some stupid shit like that. Excuse me, I am sorry," Wurzelbacher told Fox News.

"You know I will get behind something solid, but I won't get behind fluff. I won't cash in, and when people do read the book they will figure out that I didn't cash in. At least I hope they figure that out."

There will not be long to wait: his book is slated for release on December 1, priced at $14.95 (£9.90).

The news may worry writer Joe Cottonwood from La Honda, California. He currently holds the status of the only published plumber called Joe, writing the 1979 novel Famous Potatoes when he was a handyman who did a lot of plumbing.

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