They write, rock and roll

What do old rock stars do if they don't burn out or fade away? They write memoirs, of course.

This week Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, announced a book deal with Richard Hell, 62, co-founder of the seminal punk-rock bands Television and The Voidoids. "I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp," to be published in 2013, promises to recount Hell's early days in New York and his wild nights at the punk club CBGB, where he hung out with The Ramones, Blondie and The New York Dolls. The announcement came just days after raspy-voiced Rod Stewart, famous for '70s hits such as "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "Maggie May," inked a contract with Crown Archetype, a division of Random House, and Courtney Love, Hole front woman and Kurt Cobain's widow, struck a deal with William Morrow. Their tell-alls will come out next year.

Rock-and-roll memoirs did big business in 2010, when Patti Smith pocketed a National Book Award for "Just Kids" and Rolling Stone Keith Richards achieved bestseller status with "Life." Books from Steven Tyler and Sammy Hagar also hit the charts.

Since then, publishers have rushed to embrace the trend, signing up books from Neil Young, Gregg Allman, Pete Townshend and Carole King.