Nancy Pelosi to
publish memoir

House speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who this year became the first woman to hold the top spot in the House of Representatives, is writing a memoir, to be released in the summer of 2008 by the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group.

''From my parents' home in Baltimore to representing San Francisco in the Congress, my life has been devoted to family and public service. I look forward to telling my story for my grandchildren and in recognition of the contributions of all women across America,'' Pelosi said in a statement issued Thursday by Doubleday, a division of Random House.

The book, currently untitled, will be written with a collaborator ''yet to be determined,'' according to Doubleday. Financial terms were not disclosed. Unlike Senate rules, House rules prohibit members from getting book advances, although they may get royalties.

Pelosi's spokesman, Brendan Daly, said Pelosi has not yet finalized her contract, so it's not clear what her royalty deal will be. Before the contract is signed in coming weeks, it will be reviewed by the House Ethics Committee.

She hasn't decided what she would do with the royalties, Daly added.

Pelosi, 67, was elected to the House in 1987 and in January became the first female speaker in history after the Democrats gained control of Congress in the November 2006 elections. (AP)