George W. Bush signs memoir deal

DALLAS, March 19 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President George W. Bush has reached an agreement to write about his key political and personal decisions, the publisher said Thursday.

In a news release, Crown Publishers, a division of Random House, announced the book deal that includes rights for first and second serial rights, and global, audio and electronic distribution.

Tentatively titled "Decision Points," the book will focus on roughly a dozen of the most interesting and important decisions in the former president's personal and political life. Among the topics are Bush's decision to run for the presidency; how he chose his closest advisers; the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and his decisions to send troops to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Aides said Bush, the eldest son of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush, works between two and three hours each morning, writing 1,000 to 1,500 words.

"My goal is to bring the reader inside the Oval Office for the most consequential moments of my personal and political life," Bush said in the release. "I look forward to painting a vivid picture of the information I had, the principles I followed, and the decisions I made. I am spending time on the book every day, and I am thrilled to be working with the team at Crown."