Having Your Fraud, And Profiting Too

So are the people behind the J.T. Leroy hoax all irritated that James Frey has gotten the bulk of the publicity -- and subsequent sales boost -- in the "Authors who misrepresent themselves to the public" press beat? Is that why Geoffrey Knoop is now giving interviews in which he admits that (former) partner Laura Albert was the one who created J.T. Leroy, wrote under that name, and duped all sorts of literati?

We can't help but think that the conception, execution and unraveling of the whole scheme makes a good story in itself. So does Knoop: he's apparently hired an entertainment lawyer and is shopping the story around as a movie adaptation. Not even a book about a publishing scam first? Ouch!

Image of Leroy creator Laura Albert and Savannah Knoop as "J.T. Leory" by Danielle Levitt, appearing in New York Magazine.