For 33 years, Galaxy Press has been promoting the work of science fiction and fantasy writers and illustrators through the annual L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests. It released volume 33 on April 4, which immediately hit national bestseller lists. This edition contains the work of newcomers, including Stephen Lawson, Doug C. Souza, Molly Elizabeth Akins, and Ziporah Hildebrant. The volume, edited by David Farland, also includes stories and essays on writing from L. Ron Hubbard, Robert S. Sawyer, Todd McCaffrey, Anne McCaffery, and Larry Elmore.
“While we are very excited to have another bestseller, what most thrills us is that we have 12 new writer winners plus two finalists who are now national bestselling authors,” says John Goodwin, president of Galaxy Press and publisher of the series.
The Writers of the Future contest was created by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in 1983 to help aspiring writers. With its immense success, a sister competition, Illustrators of the Future, was introduced. Writer judges are some of the biggest names in the field, several having gotten their start from the contest. With David Farland as the coordinating judge, they are Kevin J. Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Eric Flint, Nnedi Okorafor, Tim Powers, Brandon Sanderson, Robert J. Sawyer, and Sean Williams.
Some of the contest winners and finalists over the years include Dave Farland (Runelords series, Macmillan), Nancy Farmer (The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, Scholastic), Eric Flint (1632 series, Baen), Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club, Putnam), Nnedi Okorafor (Binti, Tor), Patrick Rothfus (The Name of the Wind, Daw), Diana Rowland (White Trash Zombie series, Daw), Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity, Disney-Hyperion), and Sean Williams (Twinmaker, Harper Collins).
Kevin J. Anderson, one of the writing contest’s judges, says, “If you want a glimpse the future—the future of science fiction—look at these first publications of tomorrow’s masters.”
Today, 3–4 p.m. Galaxy Press will hold a Writers of the Future reception at its booth (1725). Visitors receive a complimentary copy of Writers of the Future, Vol. 33.
