Victoria (Tori) Scott shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Victoria (Tori), it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
After coffee and breakfast, I spend about twenty to thirty minutes reading—usually fiction, sometimes essays. It’s my way of warming up my brain before I switch gears into work mode. From there, I dive straight into writing. Right now that means revising the second draft of my novel, This Violent Machine, which is living up to its name in every possible way.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m the author of nine novels that have been YALSA-nominated, featured on the Spirit of Texas Reading Program, and awarded starred reviews—the highest honor—from top literary critics. My stories have been translated and sold in thirteen countries, and Fire & Flood is currently an Amazon Teacher’s Pick.
In 2018, I founded Scribbler, a company created to help aspiring authors write their first book. Since then, Scribbler has shipped over 100,000 boxes worldwide, grossed millions in revenue, and been featured by BuzzFeed and Good Morning Texas.
I hold an MBA and am currently writing a futuristic thriller. I live in Dallas and love hearing from readers—find me on Instagram, Meta, and X at @heytoriscott.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
For years, I poured everything into building Scribbler from the ground up—thinking like an entrepreneur, running the numbers, leading a team, and constantly strategizing the next big move. That side of me thrived on growth, hustle, and possibility. But now that I’ve sold the company, it feels right to release that version of myself—the one always in CEO mode—and return to the creative core that started it all. I’m stepping back into being an artist first, letting imagination, not metrics, drive me again.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Eighteen months ago, I started therapy, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. With my therapist’s encouragement, I wrote a fifty-page essay called The Stories I Don’t Tell—first shared online, then later printed in a small run. The only copies now live on my own bookshelf, which somehow feels fitting. I can’t say I’ve healed completely, but I’ve learned to sit with the pain instead of running from it. Writing that piece helped me process the darker corners of my life and, for the first time, start feeling the weight of their impact.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
In publishing, the biggest lie we tell ourselves is that the best books are the ones picked up by traditional publishers. While many great books do find a home that way, there’s a lot more behind those decisions—an author’s notoriety or social following, current market trends, what a publisher already has too much of that season. You can write a spectacular book and still never land a traditional deal. That’s why I love that self-publishing exists—it gives brilliant, deserving stories a chance to find their readers anyway.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I’m learning Russian. I have close friends from Russia and Ukraine who speak it, and I’ve always wanted to be bilingual. I chose Russian almost on a whim, but my daughter and I have been at it for nearly two years now. We still have a long way to go, but it’s become this beautiful, slow-burn investment in curiosity and connection—something that may not “pay off” for years, but already enriches our lives in quiet ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://victoriascott.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/heytoriscott
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heytoriscott/
- Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heytoriscott/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/heytoriscott
