FAQ
Who or what is an Alan Bo?
After studying publishing and creative writing at York University in my hometown of Toronto, Ontario, I began freelance writing. After a decade of typing away, I’ve been fortunate to work on children’s books with clients across all six habitable continents. My wife and I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia with our five-year-old dog, Hazel (photo attached).
Find out even more on the About page.
Why do you write and edit children’s books?
While teaching writing to children abroad, in South Korea and India, my students couldn’t relate to many of my favorite children’s books. The works of Dr. Seuss, Margaret Wise Brown, and Roald Dahl hold such magic and beauty, but our world needs modern children’s books that deal with modern concepts.
I love writing and editing children’s books about inclusivity, technology, mindfulness, and various food lifestyles. I especially love sharing my passion for travel, cooking, and outdoor activities through writing projects.
How do you collaborate with clients?
Before any writing begins, we’ll discuss your book’s target audience, style, theme, word count, etc. If you’re unsure about any of the above, we’ll talk it through. All of our interactions can take place via Zoom or email, at your convenience. Time zones are not an issue. In a single day, I may chat with clients in Canada, Kuwait, and Australia.
After our initial consultation, I’ll write a 5-10 point outline for you to review.
Once the outline is set, I’ll write the first draft. You’ll have the opportunity to review the first draft and let me know if you’d like to change or add anything.
Thereafter, I’ll take the draft through a few rounds of edits before your final approval.
In short: you can be as involved as you like throughout the entire process.
How long is a children’s book?
Bust out the calculator! As a very general rule of thumb, take your target audience’s age and multiply it by 100. For example, a book for a 4-year-old should be around 400 words. Beyond the age of 9, reading abilities and interests differ so vastly that we can write much longer children’s books.
How many illustrations do I need for a children’s picture book?
Picture books are typically 32 pages. Leaving space for titles, copyright, etc., your manuscript should break beautifully into about 28 pages (or 14 “spreads”). When writing a children’s picture book, I like to ensure that stories have at least 30 interesting, funny, or whimsical ideas to inspire your illustrator.
To rhyme or not to rhyme?
That is the question! It often seems that parents of young children love rhyme–and publishers don’t. The truth is that good rhyme is extremely hard to write. If you’ve got brilliant verse, you’ve got a wide audience. However, I only recommend rhyming for picture books.
How long does it take you to write a children’s book?
A standard children’s book takes anywhere from 8-30 hours to write and edit. Factors such as word count and style determine the project’s length. Rhyming books take 30% longer to write than typical stories. Books for young adults can take much longer than 30 hours to write and edit.
How would you describe your writing style?
I typically write picture books in a style reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, while my books for children 10 and over may sound more like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Really, I can write in the style of any writer, or I can write something entirely original.
