Nine-year-old writes dating book
By Iain Mackenzie
Newsbeat US reporter
Alec Greven
Alec says he's a bit young to be dating at the moment
There are many places a young man can go for romantic advice - friends, family, and if the worst comes to the worst, the internet.
Now, desperate bachelors, looking for a fresh perspective, are taking dating tips from a nine-year-old boy.
Alec Greven, from Colorado, is the author of How To Talk To Girls.
The book, which started as an elementary school project, has become a New York Times best-seller.
"I just observed around the playground how boys mess up and what mistakes they make," said Alec.
"A lot of boys made the wrong conversations or they couldn't get over it when a girl dumped them."
Role models
Alec believes showing interest is the key to winning a girl's heart.
He said: "Your goal is to make sure she does most of the talking so then you can't mess up."
In his book, Alec suggests that men find a cool role model to base their behaviour on.
However, he warns against pursuing A-list females.
"The best choice for most boys is a regular girl. Remember some pretty girls are cold-hearted when it comes to boys," he said.
Radio 1 Newsbeat invited Alec to demonstrate his chat up technique on 22-year-old Kristina Sorge from California.
Alec said: "Have you, um, seen that episode of Star Wars or something. I heard there's like a new episode of Star Wars?"
Kristina replied: "You know, I've seen all of the Star Wars movies. The old ones and the new ones."
Asking her out
Alec: "Have you seen the Indiana Jones movie?"
Kristina: "I've seen the old one."
Alec: "It's really good."
After a strong, movie-based start, Alec's chat dwindles a little.
How To Talk To Girls cover
Alec's best-selling book started life as a project at school
However, he insists it's easy to move the conversation on.
He said: "If I was older, maybe I would ask her, do you want to go out somewhere?"
Kristina's verdict? "I think that he's on his game. His advice is great. He'd need to add about 10 years though," she said.
Alec also offers advice for when relationships don't work out so well.
On breaking-up, he said: "You say something like, 'I don't think this is really going to work but would you like to be friends'."
On being dumped, he replied: "I say, life is hard, move on. If you can't get over it, it's ruined."
Despite his junior love-guru status, Alec says there are no ladies in his life, aside from his mother.
"I'm a little too young for all that dating and everything," he said.
Alec is working on several follow-ups to How To Talk To Girls.
How To Talk To Moms, How To Talk To Dads and How To Talk To Grandparents are already in the pipeline.
