Is it a book?

How do you know you have an interesting topic and enough content to write a book? I pondered this when I posed the question whether people would read a book about Alex Tilley.

Even Alex didn’t believe his life was interesting enough to write anything more than 10 pages long. And he didn’t think any publishers would be interested.

I knew immediately that his life would make a good book, an interesting book. Yet it turned out many people directly involved in Alex’s life—including many in his family as well as his employees—agreed with Alex. They didn’t believe his life story could ever become a book, or if it did, would anyone read it? There was one important exception to this line of thought: the love of his life, his wife Hilary Clark Cole. She knew a biography about Alex could be an interesting book and furthermore, that it was one that should be told: Canadian business icon, creative (and persnickety) clothing designer, marketing genius, and flamboyant character—it all added up to a good book in her eyes, and in mine as well.

When Hilary posed her idea to Alex, he humoured her and asked me if I would write it. Hilary also believed that the interview process would be a helpful exercise for Alex’s memory. To go through the effort of recounting the past with someone who would pose questions and elicit recollections can only be helpful for someone with memory problems.

Whenever I spoke to anyone else about Alex, especially if they had ever bought one of his Hats or clothing items, they told me they would love to read a book about his life. One friend of mine was particularly enthusiastic—a nature lover and photographer: my friend since Grade 3, Anne McArthur. She owns two Tilley Hats. Anne and other Tilley aficionados repeatedly told me how they would happily read anything about Alex and his endurable Hat.

It was always interesting to me that there were such differing opinions on this question. Sometimes those opposing views fueled my own self-doubt, yet I persevered, based on my own stubborn persistence and the encouragement from Anne and others. I will be elated if you consider it to be an interesting read.

I can only hope I have done the topic justice.