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Prince's first book, 21 Nights, is coming out this fall.
And for one remarkable night, the rock star celebrated by giving a private concert for booksellers and personal friends - literally in his own backyard in the hills above L.A.
The Friday night party at Prince's home was the hottest ticket at BookExpo America, the annual gathering of the publishing industry.
Rumor had it that the very private star would play, but few could have predicted the hour-and-15 minute set, with a band and backup singers, free to those with invitations. He played mostly covers of other artists, from Sly and the Family Stone to the Beatles to Tommy James and the Shondells (yes, Crimson and Clover).
Prince didn't take the low-rising stone stage behind his swimming pool until 1:45 a.m. Saturday, but nobody complained - except Prince himself, who had to warm his guitar-playing fingers under a heat lamp in the chilly night air.
"Absolutely amazing," said Leslie Rossman, a book publicist who had seen Prince perform before, but never in such an intimate setting. The show ended shortly after 3, with Purple Rain and 1999, and Prince saying he'd kept the neighbors awake long enough.
Celebrities including Olivia Newton-John, P. Diddy, Dr. Phil and Sylvester Stallone were also on hand.
21 Nights is an offshoot of the singer's sold-out 21 concerts in 21 nights in London last year.
Described by Atria publisher Judith Curr as a multi-media "pictorial story" of those nights, the oversized volume features onstage and backstage photos of Prince by photographer Randee St. Nicholas, who even had access to the rocker's "sleeping quarters."
Prince dedicated his opening song to St. Nicholas.
The book will also feature poetry and lyrics by Prince and a CD called Indigo Nights, of after-show jam sessions.
Why did the star decide to open his house to the bookselling community?
"It's a way of demonstrating how much this project is his and Randee's," said Curr, who said working with the rock star has been "effortless."
The publisher hopes the $50 book, due out in September, will be a holiday hit. Curr says she hopes to sell "a half million copies before Christmas."
