Bush book, 'Decision Points,' to discuss his 'decision to quit drinking'

The publisher of former President George W. Bush's book "Decision Points" on Sunday set a Nov. 9 release date, unveiled its cover design and announced new details about it.

Bush has said he is not writing a traditional memoir but an account of key decisions in his life. The cover features a photo of then-President Bush alone with his thoughts, standing in the Rose Garden Colonnade, wearing a dark suit and holding a briefing book, his head turned slightly from the camera.

According to Crown Publishers, "Decision Points" will offer "gripping, never-before-heard detail" on such historic events as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the 2000 presidential election along with Bush's decision to quit drinking, his relationship with his family and other personal details.

"Since leaving the Oval Office, President Bush has given virtually no interviews or public speeches about his presidency," Crown said in a statement. "Instead, he has spent almost every day writing 'Decision Points,' a strikingly personal and candid account revealing how and why he made the defining decisions in his consequential presidency and personal life."

A publishing industry source familiar with the book said that Bush had completed a first draft and was editing the manuscript on a computer at his office in Dallas. A former White House speech writer, Chris Michel, is helping with research. The source was unsure whether Bush had compared notes with his wife, Laura Bush, whose memoir comes out May 4.

The source asked not to be identified because the book had not been released.

As president, Bush was known for not acknowledging errors, but Crown said that he "writes honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his historic achievements in reforming education, providing life-saving treatments for HIV/AIDS and malaria for millions of people in Africa, safeguarding the country from another terrorist attack, and other areas."

The book will have a list price of $35. One thousand signed, clothbound copies will be available, priced at $350 each.

The former president will promote "Decision Points" through a national tour, although Crown, a division of Random House Inc., said no details were available.