Clay Stafford
Author / Filmmaker / Actor / Composer / Educator / Public Speaker / Consultant / Reviewer / Writer-in-Residence / Columnist Writer’s Digest / Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Killer Nashville Magazine /
Founder Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference / CEO American Blackguard Entertainment / Advocate for Writers
Nearly four million books sold and in over sixteen languages
Clay Stafford plays “an essential role in defining which books become bestsellers” throughout “the nation’s book culture.”
– Publishers Weekly
One of the Top 40 North American publishing industry professionals to watch!
- Publishers Weekly, Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair), American Booksellers Association
Clay Stafford is an American bestselling and award-winning author, poet, screenwriter & playwright; film & television producer, director, showrunner, actor; book, film & stage reviewer, educator, and public speaker. He has sold nearly four million copies of his books, has his work distributed in sixteen languages, and has spoken as a Master of Ceremony to over one million people live.
In his longtime passion as an educator at several universities, a designer of a major university curriculum, a speaker to hundreds of groups, and mentor to up-and-coming writers, screenwriters, playwrights, and poets through his volunteer-run organization Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference, which he founded, Clay has helped hundreds of writers make connections, keep up-to-date on the publishing and entertainment industries, start or jump-start careers, and find agents, publishers, and even movie deals.
Other Things Clay Does:
Monthly columnist for Writer’s Digest where he writes his monthly column “Killer Writers.”
Monthly columnist for The Writer where he writes his monthly column “Write It Down.”
President and CEO of the independent film, television, stage, music, events, and publishing company American Blackguard. https://americanblackguard.com/
President, CEO, publisher, editor-in-chief, and senior editor of Clay Stafford Books, publisher of award-winning books. https://claystaffordbooks.com/
Publisher and editor-in-chief of www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com.
President and CEO of American Blackguard Records and American Blackguard Music (BMI). https://americanblackguard.com/
Founder, CEO, and president of the premiere international writers’ conference Killer Nashville. https://killernashville.com/
Writer in Residence and Creative Writing Instructor at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee. https://www.battlegroundacademy.org/
Recent News
03/19/2024 - Clay Stafford was awarded the Old Glory Chapter Media Award by the Daughters of the American Revolution for his work supporting historic preservation, education, and patriotism
2/10/2024 - In his Writer’s Digest column, Clay talks with bestselling author Dean Koontz on Giving Yourself Five Years to Make it as a Writer (Killer Writers)
1/27/2024 - Clay presents on “The Art of Storytelling” to the regional Sisters in Crime Group, The Smoking Guns in Knoxville, Tennessee
1/14/2024 - Justin Cox talked with Clay Stafford about Clay’s background, where and when he writes, and overcoming writer’s block
12/28/2023 - In his Writer’s Digest column, Clay talks with poet Matt Mason in the second of two interviews for “Writing Genre Poetry” (Killer Writers)
12/11/2023 - In Miss Demeanors, Marni Graff interviews Clay Stafford on writing and Killer Nashville
11/30/2023 - In his Writer’s Digest column, Clay talks with poet Matt Mason in the first of two interviews for “Writing Genre Poetry” (Killer Writers)
10/28/2023 - In his Writer’s Digest column, Clay talks with author Bruce Robert Coffin on "Never Letting the Dream Die" (Killer Writers)
10/4/2023 - In his Writer’s Digest column, Clay talks with international bestselling author Susan Isaacs on Description (Killer Writers)
9/28/2023 - Canvas Rebel Magazine profiles Clay Stafford
9/13/2023 - Indie Crime Scene’s interview with Clay Stafford, founder of the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference
9/6/2023 - National Public Radio (NPR) says, “since 2006, Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference has helped writers from all over the world build their careers.” Listen to the Interview.
7/6/2023 - In his Writer’s Digest column, Clay talks with international bestselling author Amulya Malladi on the Research Before Your Research (Killer Writers)
6/28/2023 - Clay converses with New York Times Bestseller Debbi Mack about writing, filmmaking, and Killer Nashville on Debbi's podcast "Crime Cafe"
4/24/2023 - Clay converses with Dean Rotbart, an award-winning business journalist and educator on Monday Morning Radio. “Given his many talents and occupations, any conversation with Clay would not be complete if we didn’t stray from the central topic,” Dean says. “So this week, he and I will also discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on authors and publishers; the state of the publishing market; the 12 habits of successful writers; and the one subject Nobel laureate William Faulkner — author of “The Sound and the Fury” — didn’t want to talk about.”
4/14/2023 - Clay chats with Kathleen Foxx on the #badasswriters podcast up-north in Canada. Topics covered include the plethora of things he’s involved in (writing, publishing, education, music industry, etc.), various forms of storytelling, how Killer Nashville began, what comprises ‘mystery, suspense, and thriller,’ why he loves doing what he does, diversity in books and in the conference, everything the conference offers, the awards and scholarships at available at KN, the generosity and Pay-it-Forward mentality of KN, volunteers, and the importance of networking.
3/15/2023 - Clay chats with Dean Rotbart on The Monday Morning Memo. Great quote: “If Clay Stafford were to put all of his titles on a single business card, that card would be the size of a movie poster.”
2/25/2023 - Clay speaks at Publishers + Writers of San Diego / 12:30-2:00 P.M. Central
2/19/2023 - Clay Stafford talks with Chris Grabenstein about “Writing for Kids” in Writer’s Digest https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/conversation-with-chris-grabenstein-on-writing-for-kids-killer-writers
1/25/2023 – Clay Stafford inks bestselling authors Cindy Dees and Kathryn Lasky as 2023 Killer Nashville Guests of Honor. https://killernashville.com/guests-of-honor
11/30/2022 - Clay talks with John Valeri on Central Booking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQQidEtD7Ow
10/7/2022 - Clay talks with Alexia Gordon on Making Time to Write in Unconventional Ways (Killer Writers) https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/a-conversation-with-alexia-gordon-on-making-time-to-write-in-unconventional-ways-killer-writers
9/5/2022 – In his Writer’s Digest column, Clay wraps up his three-part conversation with author Jaden Terrell on Career Choices https://bit.ly/3Ue1V4j
6/6/22 – What has helped Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference grow over the years? Clay answers that and more in his interview with Vanessa A. Ryan https://bit.ly/3x9NoMv
4/29/22 – AUTHORITY MAGAZINE’S Savio P. Clemente interviews Clay on “Becoming Free from the Fear of Failure” https://bit.ly/38054S5
4/24/22 – In his Writer’s Digest column, Clay Stafford talks with J.T. Ellison on “Voice: Hamburgers or Coq au Vin” https://bit.ly/3M2yvl3
4/7/22 – Cajun Momma Tie Interviews Clay Stafford ON THE ROAD WITH THE GOOD WIVES https://bit.ly/37pHJJ8
4/4/22 – Reporter John McBryde talks with Clay Stafford and three students about Clay’s Writer-in-Residence activities at Battle Ground Academy https://bit.ly/3uTfIS6
5/18/21 – Clay speaks with author Terry Ambrose on the subject “Behind the story of Killer Nashville” https://terryambrose.com/2021/05/clay-stafford-presents-killer-nashville/
4/28/21 – Clay talks with Ric Bratton (This Week In America) on 130 radio stations across the U.S. about his passion for educating the writers of tomorrow. http://www.bluefunkbroadcasting.com/root/twia/cstaffordom.mp3 Also available as a podcast on Amazon, Audible, Spotify, iTunes, Tunein, iHeart, Player, Google Podcasts, Deezer, Podomatic, and others.
4/27/21 – Clay joins Janet Rudolph on Mystery Readers Inc. to discuss author rejection. https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/2021/04/how-to-deal-with-rejection-guest-post.html
4/19/21 – Clay talks with Mindy McGinnis about the background of the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference. https://www.mindymcginnis.com/blog/tag/conferences
4/12/21 – Clay jokes with Larry Matthews and 50,000 other listeners about the fun to be had a Killer Nashville. https://pod.co/impact-radio-usa/matthews-and-friends-4-12-21
6/3/2020 –Paid in Spades by Richard Helms (published and senior edited by Clay Stafford and released through Clay Stafford Books) is nominated for a Shamus award. https://claystaffordbooks.com/paid-in-spades/
More Recent Releases
Editor and contributor to Killer Nashville’s bestselling and award-winning book Cold-Blooded: Killer Nashville Noir. https://www.diversionbooks.com/authors/clay-stafford/
Publisher and senior editor of Richard Helms’s incredible Shamus-nominated novel Paid in Spades. https://claystaffordbooks.com/paid-in-spades/
Screenwriter, producer, director of the award-winning feature documentary One of the Miracles. https://www.oneofthemiracles.com/
Music producer of the orchestral soundtrack One of the Miracles. https://www.oneofthemiracles.com/
Music producer, songwriter, composer, and arranger for the award-winning and A.M. regional Top 10 collaborative musical album XO with international bestselling author Jeffery Deaver. https://www.jefferydeaverxomusic.com/
