Writers of the Future Ends 2015 with Best Year Ever

Hollywood, CA, December 31, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Despite industry pundits predicting a downturn in book sales overall, none of that doom and gloom has touched the world’s most prominent speculative fiction anthology for new writers and illustrators – L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future. That was particularly true for 2015 as the book series set several major milestones including national bestseller status while also celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Golden Pen Award.

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 31 (Galaxy Press, 2015), continued its impressive run capturing critical acclaim from the publishing industry’s major trade weekly, political and social recognition from communities and internationally-recognized groups, and unprecedented acceptance by some of the fastest growing publishing outlets worldwide.

“For a contest and anthology series that’s now over 30 years old with more than 650 winning honorees to date, we enjoyed the greatest expansion in 2015 than any year prior,” said Contest Director, Joni Labaqui.

Publishers Weekly, the publishing industry’s highly influential news publication, said of the 2015 anthology that, “Genre insiders will find this an excellent place to spot fresh talent,” as the title also reached the #7 position on the PW SF bestseller list.

Library Journal, in their starred reviewed, stated, “Speculative fiction fans will welcome this showcase of new talent and should not be surprised to see more work by many of these names in years to come.”

Kent Colby, General Manager of KTKN, The Voice of Alaska, made a special presentation of The Golden Pen Award in recognition of Mr. Hubbard’s 1940 visit to Ketchikan where he first presented the Golden Pen Award to aspiring writers in Ketchikan. “As a young writer at just 29, L. Ron Hubbard navigated his sloop, the Magician, into the port city of Ketchikan, Alaska, 75 years ago. His stay was extended while the Magician underwent extensive repairs during which time Hubbard befriended the owner of KGBU Radio, now KTKN Radio. And so, to encourage the aspiring writers of the area, he assembled the writing contest he called the “Golden Pen Award.”

While Writers of the Future, volume 31, has made publishing history in 2015, the 368 past winners of the Writing Contest have published 838 novels and nearly 4,000 short stories. They have produced 27 New York Times bestsellers and their works have sold over 50 million copies.

The 298 past winners of the Illustrating Contest have produced over 4,500 illustrations, 356 comic books, graced 594 books and albums with their art and visually contributed to 36 TV shows and 46 major movies.

“2016 is already showing great promise for the contest as it continues to expand on the international scene with winners from Canada, Lithuania, Mexico and the UK,” Labaqui said.

The Writers of the Future contest has become the top merit-based competition of its kind for new or little-published writers worldwide. Entries are received throughout the year and are judged by leading literary professionals. The L. Ron Hubbard Presents Illustrators of the Future, begun in 1988, similarly honors artists who illustrate the winning short stories. Since inception, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests have produced 31 anthology volumes and awarded a cumulative $930,000 in cash prizes and royalties.

For more information regarding Writers of the Future Volume 31, go to www.writersofthefuture.com.