Alan Twigg was the founder and for 33 years editor of BC Book World, Canada's largest-circulating publication about books. He has also been contributing editor of Quill & Quire, Canadian books columnist for the Vancouver Province, books columnist for Vancouver magazine, a contributor of profiles to the Toronto Star and the Writers Union of Canada representative on the board of directors of the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing. In 2000, he was the first recipient of the Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contributions to literature and publishing. In 2015 he received the Order of Canada and in 2016 the BC Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence. In 2022 Simon Fraser University awarded him a Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa, citing his "immense contribution to the promotion of B.C. literature and authors."

Alan is the author of twenty books to date including For Openers: Conversations with 24 Canadian Writers, Hubert Evans: The First Ninety-Three Years, Vancouver and Its Writers, Vander Zalm: from Immigrant to Premier, First Invaders: The Literary Origins of British Columbia and Cuba: 101 Top Historical Sites and Out of Hiding: Holocaust Literature of British Columbia (Ronsdale 2022).