Sarah Palin: "Going Rogue" hits bookstores early

It was originally scheduled for release next spring, but now HarperCollins says former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin's memoir, which is entitled, "Going Rogue," will be in bookstores by Nov. 17 – just in time for the lucrative holiday shopping season. (To maximize hard cover sales, the book will not be available in e-book format till Dec. 26.)

The publisher is obviously expecting a big return on the book. The initial print run will be 1.5 million copies, as was the case with Sen. Edward Kennedy's memoir "True Compass." (That book was also speeded to press earlier than had been expected after the senator's death on Aug. 25.)

Palin has told the Anchorage Daily News that she hopes her book will serve as an "unfiltered forum" as she has been troubled by "so many things written and said through mainstream media that have not been accurate." Palin has not disclosed what she is being paid for her memoir, which is said to be about 400 pages in length.

"Governor Palin has been unbelievably conscientious and hands-on at every stage, investing herself deeply and passionately in this project," says Jonathan Burnham, publisher of Harper. "It's her words, her life, and it's all there in full and fascinating detail." Palin has also had the help of ghostwriter Lynn Vincent.

As for content, we'll all have to wait till November to find out. But the book's title may hint somewhat at its tone. During last year's presidential campaign, pundits suggested that Palin, John McCain's vice presidential choice, ended up "going rogue" and defying his campaign's control.

And then, of course, there's the question that most interests politicos, touched on in a story by the Monitor 's David Montero: Is the book connected with a possible 2012 presidential bid for Palin?

Can't get enough of Sarah Palin?  Click here for a "Year of Sarah Palin" photo gallery.