Sending book publishers scrambling for soon-to-be-scarce stockpiles of precious purple ink, Prince has announced that he’s working on a memoir, titled The Beautiful Ones. The book is being pitched as “an unconventional and poetic journey” through the musician, movie star, and walking anecdote generator’s life, stretching from “his first memory”—presumably, God telling him to descend to Earth to spread a gospel of funk, eccentricity, and pancakes—until his Super Bowl performance in 2007.
It’s been an active few years for the tiny, Wonka-esque icon; he released two albums last year, embarked on a series of “intimate” piano-and-microphone concerts, and forced his most die-hard fans to subscribe to Tidal, a true testament to his almost dictatorial power over his musical hordes. The Beautiful Ones—which takes its name either from a track off Purple Rain, or Prince’s pet names for his own eyeballs—is set to be published in fall of 2017.