Rapper Snoop Dogg is writing his first novel for Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.

"Love Don't Live Here No More" is expected to hit U.S. store shelves in October, The Book Standard reported on its Web site. It is expected to be the first in a series of "street lit" offerings from the rapper.

The story follows a young Southern Californian's struggle to make it out of the mean streets and into the world of hip-hop.

"Snoop, by nature of what he does, is a storyteller," Atria's Kathleen Schmidt told The Book Standard.

Schmidt said the rapper should be able to broaden his audience by putting his words on paper.

"Books speak more to a female audience than does his music, so these novels give him an opportunity to show, particularly his female fans, another side," she said.