In what can only be seen as a huge change of direction for The L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future anthology, Volume 30 is set to include a short stories from L. Ron Hubbard’s library, Orson Scott Card and Mike Resnick (both judges of the contest).
Over the years, the anthology has been very strict on ensuring only unpublished authors are allowed to feature short stories within the anthology. Each of the past 29 volumes has worked in the same way: it would feature the stories of twelve winning writers and an essay on writing from the library of L. Ron Hubbard and another from a selected judge.
There has so far been no mention of why Writers of the Future have chosen to do this. Perhaps because they feel it lends credibility to the authors or maybe it is simply a way to boost sales figures and generate a bit more income… After all, the prizes and money on offer are substantial: each year the contest awards all winners with cash prizes, free travel and accommodations, a week-long professional workshop, and guaranteed publication in their best-selling annual speculative fiction anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers and Illustrators of the Future.
It has not been stated as to whether this is a one off for the ’30th anniversary edition’ or something that will happen each year from now on. Judges for Writers of the Future are some of genre-fiction’s very best and include multiple Nebula and Hugo Award winners and finalists such as Kevin J. Anderson, Orson Scott Card, Larry Niven, Nnedi Okorafor, Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers, Robert J. Sawyer, Mike Resnick, and Dave Wolverton to name a few… So, we’re certainly not complaining about some of these guys potentially writing short stories for us in the near future 🙂
For more information about the contest, please visit the website at http://www.writersofthefuture.com. If you’re a writer this is THE competition to enter. Throughout the Contest’s 30 year history, winners have gone on to publish over 700 novels and 3,500 short stories.
Jennie Ivins
I like the new format with Vol 30. I also really enjoy the large color pictures of the artists’ works. It’s a bonus to have the seasoned professionals’ writing included with the new writers’ winning essays.