"American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks, who had a hit with "Do I Make You Proud," has signed a deal to write a book on his career called "Heart Full of Soul."

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Random House's Crown imprint paid Hicks an estimated $750,000 advance for the memoir, which will be ghostwritten by David Wild, People magazine said Friday, citing a report in the New York Post.

The book should hit the shelves around the spring of 2007. In the book, Hicks will tell the story of he went from being a struggling singer in Alabama clubs to winning "American Idol," People said

Hicks's multimedia presence has been rapidly expanding, he is already a pitchman in Ford TV commercials, as singer, soon to be an author and will now appear alongside fellow "Idols" from Alabama Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice on billboards from Alabama state's Bureau of Tourism and Travel, the report said.

The billboards will feature photos of the three and the message, "Where America finds its voice. Alabama."