Obama’s Memoir ‘A Promised Land’ Coming in November

Mr. Obama’s book took longer. He started writing shortly after leaving office, working on it at home in Washington, D.C., while traveling, and on Martha’s Vineyard this summer.

“There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “I’ve spent the last few years reflecting on my presidency, and in ‘A Promised Land’ I’ve tried to provide an honest accounting of my presidential campaign and my time in office: the key events and people who shaped it, my take on what I got right and the mistakes I made, and the political, economic, and cultural forces that my team and I had to confront then — and that as a nation we are grappling with still.”

Mr. Obama said the book gives readers a sense of his and Mrs. Obama’s personal journey during that time as well, “with all the incredible highs and lows.” He also offers his thoughts on how to heal the country’s divisions and hopes the book will inspire young people to “play their part in remaking the world for the better.”

Many of the biggest books of the year are released in the fall, but there was no thought given to publishing this one before the election, according to an Obama spokeswoman, because he wanted to focus on helping his former vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., campaign for the White House without any distractions. News of the book’s publication date was reported earlier by The New York Post.

What is unusual about this presidential memoir is that Mr. Obama is not just a politician, he is also a writer. His first book, “Dreams From My Father,” was published in 1995 by Peter Osnos at Times Books. Mr. Osnos said he paid a $40,000 advance after Mr. Obama’s original contract with Simon & Schuster was canceled because he had taken too long to deliver the book.