Reese Witherspoon writing lifestyle book

Actress-turned-entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon is expanding her reach into the lifestyle industry by writing her first book.

The Sweet Home Alabama star launched her Southern-inspired Draper James clothing and home collection in 2014, and opened her first retail store in Nashville, Tennessee last year (15).

Now Reese is adding author to her resume by penning a lifestyle tome for publishers at Touchstone, according to The Associated Press.

In a statement, Reese admitted the chance to write her own book was a "unique opportunity".

The as-yet-untitled release, which will hit retailers in 2018, will feature photos and funny stories from her upbringing in Tennessee, written in the form of personal essays, and tips to help readers draw upon the South's "signature style, grace and charm" in their own lives.

The new project is rather fitting for the 40-year-old, as she runs her own book club with fans on Instagram, sharing her current reads and her thoughts on each novel.

She has also optioned the films rights to a number of bestselling books, helping to make movie adaptations of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and biopic Wild, in which she portrayed real-life adventurer Cheryl Strayed.

Other projects in the works at her Pacific Standard production company include film versions of Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll, S.J. Watson's thriller Second Life, Wendy Walker's 2016 thriller All Is Not Forgotten, and Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's Ashley's War: The Untold Story Of A Team of Women Soldiers On The Special Ops Battlefield.

She also picked up the rights to Maureen Sherry Klinsky's financial comedy Opening Belle: A Novel last year (15), months before its February (16) release.