WASHINGTON —  Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, with his career in elective office behind him, said Thursday he has a deal to publish a book.

"This is a book that's going to be the history of my career, how it furthered the conservative cause, with my spiritual walk and what I think the conservative cause ought to do next," DeLay, a born-again Christian, told The Associated Press.

DeLay said he'll explain how "everything I've done in my career furthered the conservative cause" and helped change the culture of Washington.

DeLay said the working title is "No Retreat, No Surrender: The American Passion of Tom DeLay." He declined to reveal how much he'll be paid. "Not as much as I wanted," he quipped.

The book will be published by Penguin and should be ready by next spring, he said. Stephen Mansfield, author of "The Faith of George W. Bush," is working on the book with DeLay.

DeLay retired in June after a 22-year career in Congress in which he rose to majority leader, the No. 2 job in the House. He represented a suburban Houston district centered in Sugar Land, Texas.

DeLay stepped down as majority leader, in compliance with Republican House rules, after he was charged in Texas with money laundering in a campaign finance investigation that he has labeled a political witch hunt. The case is pending.

He gave up efforts to reclaim the job after questions were raised about his associations with convicted ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff in a federal influence peddling investigation. He has not been charged in that case and denies any wrongdoing.

DeLay won his March primary but withdrew from the race for his congressional seat after Democrats won several court decisions that prevented Republicans from replacing his name on the ballot. A court battle that went as high as the Supreme Court ensued over DeLay's effort to have himself declared ineligible so local party officials could pick his replacement on the ballot. The GOP lost that fight, and Republicans now hope to keep the seat in GOP hands with a write-in candidate.

More than a month out of Congress, DeLay has been speaking to conservative groups and looking for opportunities to get out his message.

"That's what I want to do, to keep pushing the conservative cause," he said.