Interview with Clay Stafford, founder of the Killer Nashville International Writers' Conference

 

Clay Stafford, Maureen Corrigan, Cindy Dees (Courtesy of Clay Stafford)

Today it gives the Indie Crime Scene great pleasure to interview Clay Stafford, founder of the Killer Nashville International Writers' Conference.

Thank you very much for talking to the Indie Crime Scene. The Killer Nashville writers’ conference, which you founded in 2006, has just concluded its 18th outing. What led you to found the conference and why did you choose Nashville as the venue? 

I wanted an international community of writers who would support each other and exchange information with the premise of giving back to the writers of tomorrow. I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years now and have been so impressed and never disappointed with the goodwill shown by successful authors for those who are following in their path.

You are an American bestselling and award-winning author, poet, screenwriter, and playwright; film and television producer, director, showrunner, actor; book, film, and stage reviewer as well as a public speaker. Tell us something about your work and why it led you to set up a writers’ conference. 

I’m all about storytelling, so everything I do is based upon that. I love writers. I think every writer’s voice is important. That’s why I’ve been volunteering my time in producing this event for nearly twenty years. I truly want to encourage writers to be themselves and express themselves in ways that only they can do. I think it brings the world together.

What sets Killer Nashville apart from other writers’ conferences and what is its particular appeal?

The answer to this question that I most often get from attendees is the sense of networking that they don’t seem to get at other conferences, the making of lifelong friends. We are definitely an in-person event. We are as much about networking and helping each other succeed as we are about information. You have to understand that the most important persons at the event are the attendees, not the presenters. I think that flip puts us in a different spot in terms of emphasis.

Talk to us about the importance of diversity at the festival and how you have promoted that.

Long before other writers’ organizations were promoting things like self-publishing, diversity, AI, and other issues that are now the buzzwords in the writing community, Killer Nashville was on the forefront opening those doors for people who had something different to offer than the traditional. I’m proud of our community of writers for always embracing everyone, no matter their point-of-view or their direction towards publishing. I’m proud of Killer Nashville for always being on the forefront.

Clay Stafford and Maureen Corrigan

This year’s guests of honour were Cindy Dees, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, military romance, and romantic suspense novels, and Kathryn Lasky, Newbery Honor and National Jewish Book Award winner of children and young adult books. How do you approach the guests, and other participants in the program? 

Writers are really approachable. I look for authors I feel have that sense of giving back to the community and I reach out to them. Rarely have we been refused. 

How does a writers’ conference differ from a convention, and what do you offer writers and other attendees?

We have up to 11 tracks running concurrently. There’s something for everyone at every stage of their career from those who are simply beginning with an idea to those who have already had the New York Times bestseller experience. We cover writing, genres, academic subjects, forensics, legal and law, marketing and publicity, and publishing (traditional and self). We have agents attend every year who are hungry for new writers and have numerous publication success stories every year. I think of a convention as a large gathering of people under a specific banner. A conference, to me, is more intimate and diverse. The latter is what we are. Our attendance is capped. Once we sell out, we sell out. At a conference, every opinion and thought matters, as does each individual attendee. A conference is a meeting designed for discussion. Discussion is what we are all about. 

This year’s program included the following events: networking opportunities; agent roundtable sessions; agent manuscript critiques; “Ready, Set, Pitch” workshop; and author signings at the Killer Nashville Bookstore. What can you tell us about the events, which sound like a great opportunity for authors and readers?

We have so many things going on and such a wide variety of opportunities for those of varying interest, I’d encourage anyone interested to visit our website https://www.killernashville.com/ and see what we have to offer.

How do you see mystery/suspense/thriller writers in comparison with other genre (and non-genre) writers? Are they - you - different or are there areas of shared interest? 

Good writing is good writing. Genre is simply the platter and presentation that you serve it on.

Killer Nashville: Clay and attendees

Tell us about the award contests - The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award and Killer Nashville Claymore Award - which are hosted at the Killer Nashville Awards Dinner. What is the significance of these awards and what can you tell us about this year’s winners? 

It’s tough every year. There are so many books and manuscripts out there that it pains me when I see the judges narrow them down to the Top 10. I’m always going, but 11 is great, as well. And so is 33. But to make it manageable, the judges have all decided that ten is the max. If it were me, I’d include every great story just because I want those great authors to know that they are validated. The Silver Falchion is for the Best Book of the Previous Year, which in this case would be 2023. You can find more info on the Silver Falchion here https://www.killernashville.com/silver-falchion-award. The Claymore Award https://www.killernashville.com/the-claymore-award is for the first 50 pages of an unpublished manuscript (fiction, nonfiction, long form, short form) at the time of submission. We’ve had incredible success with the Claymore in terms of writers, finalists, and winners alike, securing publishing contracts, agents, and even movie deals. It’s a highlight for me, having been someone who owes his career to mentors, to be able to play that role for the writers of tomorrow.

The Conference offers scholarships to authors who demonstrate financial need. Why is this important and how does it work?

To apply for a scholarship, fill out the form online when the call for entries opens later in the year. In my early years, I struggled. I know that the writers who need the information most at a conference are the ones who can’t afford it. I do not believe that any person should be separated from their dream because of money. With the scholarship, we eliminate the money need, and we provide access and opportunity. It levels the playing field and we’ve discovered some great new talent through our scholarship program that we would have never been able to discover had we not opened up this opportunity and had those who fund the scholarship programs been willing so generously to give.

Now the 2023 Conference is finished, how do you look back on it? Were there any particular highlights?

As is every year, my favorite highlight is when I hear an attendee say, “The agent wants to see my full manuscript!” I heard that dozens of times the weekend of the conference. After the conference (now), I’m getting emails from agents I don’t know wanting me to connect them with the writers who placed as finalists. The doors are opening. It never ceases to have the same emotional effect on me. It makes me feel good, that we’re giving to something bigger, maybe giving access to a voice that will change the world.

Are you already at work planning the 2024 Conference and what can attendees look forward to? 

Each conference is about one-and-a-half years in the making. Six months ago, I started working on 2024. We look at industry trends, we look at author needs, and each year is different from the one before. Next year will definitely have new things never offered before because that is the way the market is changing.

What do you enjoy most about running the Conference and what can you tell us about your team?

My favorite thing again about the conference is seeing lives changed. I doubt that will ever grow old for me. That’s why I’ve been volunteering to do this for nearly 20 years now.

How much has the conference grown - and changed - since the original event in 2006, and how do you see its future? 

The conference has grown in size, it has morphed in content, it has responded to industry needs, it has led in the forefront of ideas, but in terms of who we are, nothing has changed. It’s still built on the premise of leaving one’s ego at the door, of helping others, of changing lives. I don’t see that ever changing.

Clay Stafford on Amazon

About Clay Stafford:

Clay Stafford is an American bestselling and award-winning author, poet, screenwriter, and playwright; film and television producer, director, showrunner, actor; book, film, and stage reviewer as well as public speaker. He has sold nearly four million copies of his books and has had his work distributed in sixteen languages. He is founder and CEO of the annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference and a contributor to Writer’s Digest magazine with his online column, “Killer Writer”.

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