Writers of the Future Podcast

Writers of the Future winner Em Dupre and Illustrators of the Future winner Jim Zacarria discuss working together for "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38." We also discuss their journey to winning the Contests and what they plan for their future.

Scott Dickey is the CEO of Podium Audio. Podium is probably the fastest growing audio publisher globally, mainly focusing on Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Romance. The company gained international notice for turning once unknown author Andy Weir’s e-book “The Martian” into one of the most successful audiobooks in the world. In this podcast, we discuss the Podium model and how authors can potential...

Jody Lynn Nye is a New York Times bestselling author and the Writers of the Future Coordinating judge and discusses her vision of the future of science fiction and fantasy and the role and value it can have in forming the future of civilization. She also gives what she is looking for in stories for the Contest. See her works at: jodynye.com

Desmond Astaire is the Gold Award winner for Writers of the Future Volume 38. He is career Air Force who also aspires to a career as an author. Learn more at www.desmondastaire.com.

Craig Alanson publishes 3 novels a year. He went from being a paid accountant writing code to a full-time author making 6 figures after only 6 months—as a self-published author! He created "Expeditionary Force" as a reaction to the “plucky band of soldiers with rifles defeat an alien invasion” trope. These stories are so serious, straight ahead, and unrealistic—how can human soldiers on the ground...

M. Elizabeth Ticknor and Rebecca E. Treasure discuss the importance of friendship in writing and making their dream of being authors happen. We discuss their journeys, overcoming self-doubt, and persevering to win the Contest.

Larry Elmore became an Illustrators of the Future judge in 2012 and is routinely a highlight anytime he attends the annual workshop. Larry discusses how the original D&D art came to be and, following this, Dragonlance art. Larry talks about how he can just look at something, duplicate the shape, and draw it from memory.

Dean Wesley Smith is one of the most prolific authors today, a master of selling the first draft of his stories. He was the first Writers of the Future winner to be awarded in the history of the Contest. In this podcast, he covers writing what you want to write, what you have fun with. He discusses what today are called "guidelines." In L. Ron Hubbard's day, these were called taboos, which he disc...

Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, wrote and did her own voice-over for her book, "I'm Still a 10-Year Old Boy" and she is also an artist and sculptor. We discuss her growth and subsequent influence as an artist which includes my favorite chapter, "Six Salient Steps to Successful Survival," which is very applicable to the aspiring writer and artist...and we talk about all 6 steps!

The UK is very important to Writers and Illustrators of the Future! Illustrator grand prize winner volume 37 Dan Watson (top), writer winner volume 36 J. L. George (center), and writer winner volume 38 Michael Panter (bottom)were interviewed during the workshop week where we discussed their individual journeys to winner and what they plan to do in the future. Dan Watson: danwatsonart.com/ J. L. Ge...

Growing up in Jamaica, Michael Talbot had always had a strong desire to inspire and speak to others through art. In 2012 he left his home country to live in the US and began pursuing his artistic dreams. He earned his BFA in illustration and graphic design with a minor in animation at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, and has since been working as a Boston-based freelance artist on a wide range...

Martin L. Shoemaker, a winner in Writers of the Future Volume 31, announces a new book, "Ulla," based on "The War of the Worlds" storyline, and the use of Kickstarter to help with the book's release. Reach Martin at https://shoemaker.space/

International bestselling author and Writers of the Future Contest Judge, Kevin J. Anderson never wanted to be anything but an author his entire life. We discuss the conclusion of the Clockwork Angels Trilogy, "Clockwork Destiny," which Kevin considers to be the best book he has ever written out of his 175 published books. We also discuss the importance of storytellers and the importance of transp...

James Rosone is the Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of the Red Storm Series and World War III military thriller series. He's an Iraq War veteran who served 3.5 years in a combat zone as a military interrogator and contractor. You can write the best book in the world and no one reads it. Or you can write a garbage book and everyone reads it. It comes down to marketing. And how to do that is what...

Mike Jack Stoumbos is a teacher who wanted to be an author. This is his story on transitioning from a full-time teacher/part-time writer to a part-time teacher/full-time writer. Mike is a winner published in "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38," with his anti-bullying story "The Squid is my Brother." Visit Mike at www.mikejackstoumbos.com

(bottom to top) C Winspear (WOTF 36 Gold Award winner), Michael Gardner (WOTF 36), and JA Becker (WOTF 38) all won Writers of the Future. They all share amazingly different journeys that led them to Hollywood to celebrate becoming winners. And boy do we have a lot of fun!

Damon Courtney (writing under the alias Damon J. Courtney) wrote an epic Fantasy series, Dragon Bond, that he desperately wanted to give to the world (whether they liked it or not). He had already published two books, and now the third and final book in his (to him) magnificent trilogy was complete. But, how to find readers… And so begins the story of Book Funnel. BookFunnel delivers more than 2 m...

Canadian Dean of Science Fiction Robert J. Sawyer says to take a breath. Write the stories that are important to you. Stories that only you can tell. He also gives his reason why he recommends that you submit to Writers of the Future. Learn your craft. Practice. Get really good. Then you can be good enough to sell.

Meet the grand prize winners for 2022 published in Writers of the Future Volume 38. Zaine was ready to quit art and tells how he overcame a total feeling of despair. Desmond tells of what he finally did that took him out of his almost-writer state to being a winner.

WATCH ART REVEAL HIGHLIGHTS HERE: https://youtu.be/Kduoo37wwH0 Each year, the illustrators set up their art in a large room, and then the authors are let in and must find their story's art at which point the illustrator introduces themself to the author. It is a very emotional event and one I hope you will enjoy listening to.

In this interview, we talk with international bestselling author Hugh Howey. We discuss self-publishing vs indie publishing vs traditional publishing; how his earlier work ethic, gaining experience doing all forms of jobs, affected his later ability as an author; and, his experience working at a bookstore and its impact on his writing choices. We also cover how his novel "Wool" came to be.

Philippa Werner is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Scribecount, overseeing the customer interaction, content, and overall service side of the company. Her main objective is to ensure copyright holders never miss out on royalties owed to them! With 19 novels to her name, including 2 USA Today Bestsellers, Philippa speaks the complicated language of indie-author very well. You can reach Ph...

Laura Crenshaw, Founder & CEO of Mythulu.com. Mythulu mission is to stabilize and expand the storytelling industry. The world is hungry for new stories. You're ready to tell them. Our goal is to be the belt to your Batman. Check out what else we're about to slip into your arsenal: Explain your decks, the premise of how they were created and all the perceptics they use. Learn more at https://mythul...

When not writing, Marta Sprout loves skiing big mountains, scuba diving, and snorkeling with 40’ whale sharks. She teaches at the police academy and has done training scenarios with cadets and SWAT. In addition to the pursuit of an accurate and credible story, the bond she has with law enforcement, military, and firefighters comes from a deep respect for those who put themselves in harm’s way to p...

Judith Anderle, who along with her husband, Michael, has built an indie publishing empire and created the 20Booksto50K annual conference. We discuss a topic not covered before in the 3 years of this podcast: publishing contracts and publishing rights