Palin memoir, 'Going Rogue,' to be released Nov. 17

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate, has finished her memoir just four months after the book deal was announced, and the release date has been moved up from the spring to Nov. 17, her publisher said.

"Governor Palin has been unbelievably conscientious and hands-on at every stage, investing herself deeply and passionately in this project," Jonathan Burnham, publisher of Harper, told The Associated Press. "It's her words, her life ..."

Palin's book, her first, will be 400 pages, said Burnham, who called the fall "the best possible time for a major book of this kind."

The book now has a title: "Going Rogue: An American Life."

Harper, an imprint of Harper Collins, has commissioned a huge first printing of 1.5 million copies. Sen. Ted Kennedy's "True Compass," published by Twelve soon after his Aug. 25 death, also had a 1.5 million first printing.

Palin, 45, is working with collaborator Lynn Vincent, a San Diego-based author and features editor for World magazine, a conservative Christian publication.

The former governor spent most of August in San Diego working on the book, then was in New York during the first part of September during editing, Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton said in an e-mail to the Daily News Monday. Palin was joined for much of her time in San Diego by her husband, Todd, and their children, she said.

Palin "wrote furiously during that time -- truly around the clock," Stapleton said in her e-mail. The former governor had already written 20,000 words when the book deal was announced, and kept journals that made writing easier, Stapleton said.

As with the Kennedy book, the digital edition of Palin's memoir will not be released at the same time as the hardcover. "Going Rogue" will not be available as an e-book until Dec. 26 because "we want to maximize hardcover sales over the holidays," Harper spokeswoman Tina Andreadis said Monday.

Publishers have been concerned that e-books, rapidly becoming more popular, might take away sales from hardcover editions, which are more expensive.

Palin, who abruptly resigned as Alaska governor over the summer with more than a year left in her first term, has been an object of fascination since Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate in 2008, chose her as his running mate, making an instant celebrity out of a once-obscure public official.

During last year's campaign, pundits questioned whether Palin hurt McCain's presidential bid by "going rogue," or defying his campaign's control.

Although Democrat Barack Obama easily won the election and Palin was criticized even by some Republicans for being inexperienced, she remains a favorite among conservatives and is a rumored contender for 2012. Interest in her is so high that a fan recently paid $63,500 to have dinner with her, part of an Internet auction for a charity that aids wounded veterans.