You’ve led an extraordinary life. Nevertheless, you’re a realist; you’re not Winston Churchill, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Madonna, or Derek Jeter. Still, you believe people can learn and profit from your experience. If that’s the case, why not publish a memoir, an autobiographical account of your life, the obstacles and challenges you've met and overcome, the high and low points of your life. As Stephen King reminds us: “If you want to write your autobiography, you have to get right down into the cellar of your life.”

So here’s what the book-making process boils down to: writing your book, designing a cover, editing and proofreading your book, and finally, selling your book. Yes, you can go the Vanity Press route, realizing they don’t even read your book; they don’t care if it’s full of typos. If the cover sucks, they’ll print it any way. They just want your money. At Editions Tilleul, we make sure every aspect of project is done right before we release it. Why? Because poorly produced books, with errors and amateur cover art, don’t sell. We want your book to sell. We want you, the almost famous person you are today, to become the famous person you could be, thanks to your well-written, beautifully produced book.

Tilleul is the French word for Linden, as in Linden Tree. I first encountered this tree and its scented flowers in France, where the flowers are used for tisane, or herb tea. I found it an excellent sweet tasting drink with many healing properties as a Digestive Aid, Calming Sleep Aid, and a relief for Cold and Flu Symptoms.

When we were thinking of a name for an imprint that featured the biographies of the almost famous, I thought back to the nights I had curled up with such biographies as Eminent Victorians, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Benjamin Franklin, A Moveable Feast, De Profundis, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Out of Africa, The Double Helix.

Many times over, a Linden tea infusion was part of the reading enjoyment I experienced. After finishing a great autobiography, I often contemplated writing my own memoir. And when the movie of my life had finished flashing before my eyes, it made me think of a close friend who also had an amazing life and then I’d run his/her movie…after all, everyone has a story.

Well, I finally wrote my autobiography. After, one thing led to another, and that’s how Editions Tilleul got started.