Sarah Palin's Memoir, 'Going Rogue,' to Hit Bookshelves Early

Sept. 29, 2009— -- Sarah Palin's forthcoming 400-page memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life," will hit bookshelves just in time for the holiday shopping season.

More than 1.5 million copies of Palin's first book are expected in stores by Nov. 17, according to publisher HarperCollins. That's as many copies as publishers printed of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's memoir, "True Compass," after his death last month.

Palin, the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate, completed her manuscript weeks ahead of schedule and four months after signing the book deal. The book had been slated for release in the spring.

"Gov. Palin has been unbelievably conscientious and hands-on at every stage, investing herself deeply and passionately in this project," Jonathan Burnham of HarperCollins told the Associated Press. "It's her words, her life and it's all there in full and fascinating detail."

Palin told Alaska's Anchorage Daily News in May that her memoir will provide an unfiltered forum as "there have been so many things written and said through mainstream media that have not been accurate."

Palin, 45, reportedly did most of the work on her memoir in San Diego, Calif., after resigning the Alaska governorship in July with more than a year left in her first term.

She continues to face questions about her motives for leaving office early and has said she wanted to avoid the burden of what she called frivolous ethics charges against her and the status of lame-duck governor in order to pursue an unspecified higher calling.

While in San Diego, according to AP, Palin collaborated with Lynn Vincent, an author and features editor for World magazine, a conservative Christian publication. Vincent's titles include "Same Kind of Different as Me," "The Blood of Lambs" and "Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime and Corruption in the Democratic Party."

Sarah Palin Memoir Expected to Be Hot-Seller

Once the manuscript was complete, Palin then reportedly spent several intense days in New York working with her editors at HarperCollins.

Publishers hope to capitalize on Americans' fascination with Palin and her continued popularity among conservatives going into the holiday season. "We want to maximize hardcover sales over the holidays," HarperCollins spokeswoman Tina Andreadis told AP Monday.

Some political strategists believe Palin is considering a presidential bid in 2012. She is also expected to play a significant role in GOP fundraising going into the 2010 elections.

The title of her book, "Going Rogue," refers to the speculation from late in the 2008 presidential campaign that Palin was publicly and unwisely diverging from the views of her running mate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Palin later embraced the phrase, defending her outspokenness.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.