Meet Ivan Scott | Indie Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ivan Scott and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ivan, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
I think when we are passionate about something, it makes it difficult to give it up, even in the face of adversity.

I remember my father used to tell me when we love something, and need to work hard to make it happen, we either come up with a way or an excuse.

In my case, I have Dyslexia and that makes what I love doing a challenge, But as I tell our kids, who also have it, never use it as a reason to quit.

As far quitting, I think it was Bear Bryant who said, “Quitting the first time is difficult. The next time it easier. And then the third time, you don’t even think about it.” But when you stick with something, in the face of adversity, that makes the final victory an euphoric experience and makes you feel as if you can do anything you put your mind and heart to.

There will be a day when I cannot do the things I love, and I will look back on that window that has closed and regret not giving everything I have when I had the chance. That’s the motivation. Never look back and regret since you won’t be able to change the past. Make the present one you’ll savor for the rest of your life.

If you love something, it won’t let you give up. You might need to say, “I didn’t win today, but it will be soon.” I think if we have a passion for something, and our hearts are in it, it’s those things that won’t let us quit. If you stop doing what you love, eventually your heart will bring you back to it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always wanted to write books, and I finally got serious about it in 2019. I told myself that if I didn’t start now I would regret it.

Once I started, it was like I had found my calling. I finished the manuscript after several months then went about trying to find an agent/publisher. After 300 plus rejections, I was discouraged, but got to a point when I decided that I wasn’t going to ever let anyone tell me what I can and can’t do.

So I researched options and fortunately, this was time when self-publishing was taking off with Amazon and Barnes and Noble. As they rolled out their platforms, I decided that was the route I wanted to go. But once I did, it was like a dream come true to see my book in the world.

I found out that in addition to writing the book, I also had to format it, edit it, create the book cover and also market and promote it. Daunting task right? So, I researched the steps and learned one by one what I had to do.

One of the toughest steps was creating my own cover. I am not a graphic artist, and I had no budget for an artist, so that was difficult. But I went to bookstores and also Amazon and looked at covers in my genre to get ideas. Then I learned Photoshop, which took a while, but if I was going to create the cover I wanted, that was what I needed to do.

After a lot of trial and error, and lots of YouTube videos, I came up with a cover that I liked and it was a sense of accomplishment that gave me confidence to move forward. What is next on the list? Once that happened, I felt like I could do anything.

In terms of finding time to write, with young kids and a full time job, it was difficult. So what I did was look at my schedule and found that nothing was going on at 4:30am, so why not get up early, and write then? So I wrote then since that was the best and only time I could do it, but that’s how I got my first novel finished.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta has several spots that are amazing!

I think going into Buckhead is amazing and a great place to people watch. I moved here in 1990 so the area has some nostalgia to it as well. The Buckhead Theatre is great for live shows, and also we like the restaurants around Lenox Square. It is a great place for people watching too. I have had ideas for several characters just by being there.

The St. Regis Hotel is great for it’s Afternoon Tea. We like going there for Christmas to get pictures by their tree and also the display of Santa’s Village. We usually do dinner at Chops or Bones and then will stay the night at the St. Regis. They also have a nice bar on the second floor.

The Roswell area is nice when we want a smaller town feel. We like Little Ally’s Steakhouse, as well as Table and Main. Also the 1920 Tavern has a great selection of Bourbon as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Indie Author community has been supportive and a source of inspiration. A lot of the authors are in the same position as I am, so we get to bond and exchange ideas, pains and successes. I am on Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, Goodreads and YouTube, so it’s like having a whole bookstore full of friends that I look forward to seeing every day.

My wife, who is a Redhead, is my muse. I use a lot of the stories from our lives in my books so I have a constant stream of ideas. Plus, her sassy personality pumps life into my Ginger heroines.

Website: https://ivanscottbooks.com/

Instagram: @author.ivan.scott

Twitter: @AuthorIvanScott

Facebook: @AuthorIvanScott

Youtube: @AuthorIvanScott

Other: Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/225354.Ivan_Scott

Amazon – https://shorturl.at/qplfn

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/authorivanscott/

Image Credits
All photos are mine.