So you're a member of the Soul Patrol.

You've already bought a copy of Taylor Hicks' debut disc on the Arista label.

You've spent weeks anticipating today's CD release, gushing over its prospects and chatting with other hardcore fans on the Internet.

Maybe you've already listened to streams of Hicks' new material on various Web sites and committed the songs to memory.

So let's talk about something else for a while: His spring book project.

During a recent interview, the "American Idol" winner revealed that he's still working on a text - with professional stories and personal advice - that's set for publication on April 3.

"Basically, it's my life in 300 pages," says Hicks, 30. "I dictated one draft and it's already been written. Now it goes into another stage. We'll go back and retouch on some things. We'll write another draft.

"And there are some new kid photos my parents have found. It's something they get a kick out of, rounding up some naked baby pictures."

Don't faint, ladies. The adult Hicks will be fully clothed in the images found in "Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way" ($24.95, Crown).

Still, the book will contain road stories and travel shots, some of which were taken from the stage on the "Idol" tour this summer.

"There's a balance I have to create, for younger readers and older readers," Hicks says. "There are people who want to know what happened to me. There are other people who ask: How did you get to this point and what can I learn from it that will help me?

"Putting a band together is no different from putting together a night shift at McDonald's. So it should be able to reach people."

The Birmingham native says he's determined to reach people - mostly through music - over the next year. Here are some of his thoughts on fame, his latest album and his 2007 tour. Since you've made it to the big time, are you feeling more career pressure than before? My mentality is that if I can play a fraternity party at the University of Alabama on the Friday night before the Iron Bowl, then I'm doing good. Right now, I know I can do that, and for good money.

Stars tend to get inflated egos. How will you prevent that from happening to you? One thing about this business and working in it for 10 years is being perceptive and understanding where you are. I've been able to do more now than I ever have, but I know where I came from.

We haven't heard anything about a fancy house in Hollywood or an expensive car. What have you been doing with all that money from the record company? When they tell you it's an advance, that's exactly what they mean: an advance. You can throw these big numbers out there and it looks great on paper, but you still have to work and make the money back. You've got to recoup it. That's the reason I haven't been out there, purchasing things. It's not my money to spend. I haven't bought a house. I haven't bought a car.

No splurge items at all? New suits? Custom-made shirts? The one thing I purchased is a camera to document my travels. I'll probably do that for a long time. I haven't really had time to look back at where I've been over the past year. The first time I did a slide show on my computer, I started crying.

How would you describe your new album to someone who's unfamiliar with your music? The thread of the record is Taylor Hicks. My voice is distinct throughout all of the tracks. It's my take on modern soul music, in the six weeks I had to make. It has that Bob Seger-Van Morrison feel. For my second album, I'm going to create it in my own time and space.

There's been criticism from hardcore fans that some of the new songs are too pop-oriented. What's your response to that? Well, I'm also doing a bunch of soul tracks that would be great for the Soul Patrol. I've got to mix it up, to reach new listeners. Anybody can cut old R&B stuff. My view is that a good song is a good song.

Do you expect some reviewers to trash your album just because you're an "Idol" winner? Ten or 12 years in this business has hardened my shell and allowed me to deflect some things. How about the people who've been saying the lyrics are too simple on a song like "The Runaround"? You know, I have original songs that are pretty complex in the lyrics. I could go sit in a club with my guitar and play "My Friend." Maybe I will someday. But the songs on this album are cool. They're live. They're me.

You insisted on breaking the "Idol" mold and going with a single producer for your CD. Did Clive Davis, who's the CEO of your label group, have a significant impact on the disc, as well? Clive had a lot to do with introducing me to my producer, Matt Serletic, but he wasn't in the studio with us every day. I told Clive from the beginning: I'm in it for the love of the music and you're in it for the love of the music. He's a music lover. So we have that in common.

Did your previous experiences recording indie CDs come in handy? I think I'm just learning how to be a recording artist. But having done two independent albums was useful for the process. I had more money this time around, and there's no question it allows for better production. But you still have a budget. You still have a schedule. You still have to go in there and do it. Were you satisfied with the amount of creative control you had over the new disc? Oh, yeah. I made it very clear from the get-go that I wasn't going to record anything I didn't feel instinctively good about.

You're going on tour with this material early next year. Anything you'd like to tell us about your plans? What I'm going to try to do is sell some live discs on my tour. It's just a thought I had, to sell a disc of each performance at the show. You could say you were there and have a disc right afterward. You've got a Web site (www.taylorhicks.com), a Weblog (www.graycharles.com) and a MySpace page (www.myspace.com/taylorhicks).

Is an Internet presence important for musicians these days? It's something I've gotta do. The coolest thing about where we are with technology and media is that I can connect with people and say exactly what I want to say.