Ian Anderson

Accountancy and Computer Science, 1982

What made you choose to study at Heriot-Watt?
I knew Heriot-Watt had a great reputation for engineering and science and at that time the use of computing in business was beginning to develop with unknown potential. Heriot-Watt was the only University offering a joint degree in accountancy and computer science which cleverly brought the two elements together. The potential of the course was very exciting. 

How would you summarise your career since graduating from Heriot-Watt?
Initially it was difficult to find a job that combined both elements. You either pursued the computer science route as a systems analyst or programmer or you became an accountant.

I chose the latter, mainly because it had an established professional structure. I did the CIMA qualification and ended up as an FCMA. However, after qualifying as an accountant I began to get more involved with computer systems again and eventually moved to SAP, a large software company, initially in customer support and then in account management and sales.

Later I moved to Microsoft doing a similar account director role for several multinational banks. Over my whole career I did a wide variety of jobs and always enjoyed learning new things, that desire to learn never leaves you.

What got you into creative writing?
I have always enjoyed writing and I did an Open University course in creative writing in 2015. It was great fun and very educational. The final assignment of the course was to write the opening chapters of a novel and after I'd done that I decided to carry on and complete the novel which eventually became my first book - Jack's Lottery Plan.

How did the publishing process go?
Initially, I followed the standard advice which was to find a publisher or a literary agent. There is a process to go through which varies, but usually requires you to submit the first few chapters along with an overall synopsis of the book.

I did this many times but had no luck. They say they get hundreds of new submissions per week and only take on a few new authors each year. I had offers from “vanity publishers” which are organisations that ask you for money up front to publish and market your book.

Luckily there is a lot about this on the internet which dissuaded me from going that route. In the end I decided to self-publish through Kindle Direct Publishing, which is part of Amazon. It is a relatively easy process although you have to do everything yourself – writing, editing, design, marketing, selling, etc. I do have a few 'proofreading' friends who help with editing of the final draft before I publish the book.

Can you tell us more about your new novel The Anniversary?
I enjoy reading crime thrillers and have always wanted to write one myself. The Anniversary is a story about a car accident in which a young man's family are all killed. After the court case, the car driver is let off lightly and the man doesn't feel that justice has been done. He becomes obsessed on seeking revenge on those responsible for his family's deaths. He starts his killing spree but both the police and the car driver are determined to stop him. As things start to unravel and the net begins to tighten around him, the truth begins to emerge, and it becomes clear that not everyone is without a guilty secret.

It ends on a cliff-hanger and I am currently writing the sequel – The Deal. This carries the story on through further twists and turns to a dramatic conclusion. I hope to have The Deal completed in summer 2021.

I've had some great reviews and it has been picked up by both Judy Murray (in her Sunday Post newspaper column) and in my local newspaper – The Woking News and Mail – and the monthly Round and About magazine.

I've also published a sequel to my first novel, Jack's Lottery Plan, which is called Jack's Big Surprise. These are both comedy-drama novels about a man who tries to get a share of his friend's lottery winnings, leading him into all sorts of unexpected dramas.

What advice do you have for new writers?
They say everyone has a book in them, but how do you get started?  I think the first thing is to come up with a main overall idea for the story then play around with it, imagining what might happen. The initial idea could come from everyday life, something that has happened to you, a newspaper headline, anything really. Jot a few ideas down. Some will work, others won't.

Initially I work out a loose, overall plan of the story. How it might start, a few things that might happen along the way, and a possible ending. I must stress though these can be very loose and will often change as I write and new ideas come to mind.

Don't stress about it being complete before you start, or you never will. Just focus on having a start point and let it develop. As you begin to develop the story, by it's nature it will become more structured.

I try and do a bit most days, but I don't beat myself up if I don't. I try and mix it up and do what I feel most comfortable doing that day, just to keep the story fresh in my mind making it easier to develop without having to read back and remind myself where we are.

When I write, I visualise the story in my head, like a TV programme. I find it is also good to take time to allow new ideas to develop and enhance the plot. Overall it takes me around six months to write a book.

When I have got to the end and am relatively happy with it (I'll never be completely happy but you have to stop or you never will), I send a final draft to five trusted friends to proofread.

After that it is a case of making final corrections and designing the cover, description, short synopsis, etc., before finally checking the physical final draft. Then I can go ahead and publish it. It's all worth it when you have your own paperback in your hands!

What are your aspirations for the future?
I am currently writing The Deal, which is the sequel to The Anniversary. I intend to carry on writing, but my overall ambition is to have the books turned into screenplays for TV. I write as if I am actually writing a TV series, visualising it as I go, and so I think they would work really well in that format, I just need to convince some screenwriters and TV executives!

If there are any Heriot-Watt alumni out there who would like to work with me to do that, please get in touch!