Killer Nashville and Claymore Award Success Stories
If you have a Killer Nashville or Claymore Award success story, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us.
Success Stories
Terry Shames
“I got a two-book contract for my Texas mystery series. BOTH of them were finalists for the Claymore Award. The first, MURDER AT JARRETT CREEK (now A Killing At Cotton Hill), was a finalist two years ago. Shortly after the announcement I got an agent I really wanted. Two weeks ago, right after the announcement(…)
Jayne Ormerod
“There are two classes of writers, those who write until their fingers are calloused, and those who write until their fingers are calloused and get paid for their efforts. Thanks to the Claymore Award contest, I have advanced to the second class, and all I can say is WOW, what a feeling!” Jayne Ormerod, author(…)
Dietrich Stogner
“As an aspiring novelist, I can easily say that attending Killer Nashville was a fundamental turning point in my career. I learned how to pitch my novel, how to polish my manuscript, and met my agent in a pitch session. An invaluable tool for any writer, Killer Nashville should not be missed.” Dietrich Stogner, author(…)
Margaret Fenton
“I met an editor from Oceanview Publishing at Killer Nashville, and was able to pitch to her. She asked to see the whole manuscript, and two months later I had a contract. Killer Nashville got me published a lot faster and easier than if I’d gone about it another way. Killer Nashville is devoted to(…)
Jonathan Stone
“An update for you on AGAIN. (For the moment called IN THE BARN as a book – and WRONG MOVE for film) My agent Jill (whom I met through Killer Nashville and winning the Claymore Award) and her rights co-agent Andrea sent it to their Hollywood co-agent, who loved it, and next thing I know, he has five(…)
Michael Guillebeau
“Killer Nashville was the source of the sale of my first book, Josh Whoever, to Five Star Mysteries. The day before I was to pitch, I met Five Star’s Senior Editor, Deni Dietz, and showed her that I had her book Beat Up A Cookie (great funny mystery centered around the TV show M*A*S*H). The(…)
D. Alan Lewis
“I had sent out a number of queries to publishers, months before the 2010 event. After becoming a Top Ten finalist in the Claymore Award, I updated the queries and resent them. Suddenly, I had several of these same publishers asking for manuscripts and two publishers offering me contracts within two months of the event. I feel(…)
Joan Lipinsky Cochran
“Above and beyond the boost of confidence the Claymore finalist award gave me, it opened the doors for many more agents to view The Yiddish Gangster’s Daughter, my crime novel. Although it’s only been six months, I’ve received requests from six New York and California-based agents for the entire manuscript and requests to send it to three others if(…)
Jessica Ferguson
“When I took my novel apart, did away with backstory and the first two chapters, gave the dialogue punch, picked up the pace, deep down I wondered if I’d just destroyed my story. Positive validation came in the email announcing that A Bad Guy Forever was a 2011 Top Ten Claymore finalist. Yes! I can(…)
Craig Faustus Buck
“In these days of publishing uncertainty and metamorphosis (in the most Kafkaesque sense), there are few venues for yet-unpublished manuscripts to find recognition and praise. Thankfully, the Claymore Award lives among us to fill the void. My nomination was just the boost I needed to renew my faith in my work and my selection as first Runner Up(…)
Korey Kaul
“I had received numerous rejections on Jury Rig and had, in effect, moved on and started writing the next book. A writing partner then told me about the Claymore competition. I ended up being a finalist, which got the book in front of a Five Star acquisitions editor. Five Star eventually purchased the rights. It is possible(…)
Tom Wallace
“Winning the Claymore Award is not only a great honor, it also provides a terrific confidence boost for any author. Every writer seeks approval from his or her peers, and capturing the Claymore Award rings the bell of their approval. Definitely the highlight of my professional writing career.” Tom Wallace, author of Gnosis
