Discover why 4M+ books published in 2025 sell few copies. Join the free Writers of the Future workshop with over 10,000 writers enrolled worldwide!
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, March 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — 2025 witnessed over 4 million books published, according to statistics from Bowker, with 3.5 million self-published. Four out of five new books published sell less than 100 copies each. While it can be argued what the important factors involved with a book’s success are: strong characters, conflict, plot, world building, and voice, there is one component undercutting all of the above…the needed skill set to write a story that makes a reader continue turning pages to the end.
In 2020, Writers of the Future announced a free online creative writing workshop with 13 videos by international bestselling authors and Writers of the Future Contest Judges Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), Dave Farland (The Runelords), and Tim Powers (On Stranger Tides), and 11 essays by Contest founder L. Ron Hubbard and the first Coordinating Judge Algis Budrys. Based on the success of the workshop, three additional bestselling authors and Contest judges, Kevin J. Anderson (Dune prequels), Nnedi Okorafor (Death of an Author), and Robert J. Sawyer (The Downloaded) were added in 2025.
There are now over 10,000 enrolled in the free online writing workshop, which continues to grow with students from over 100 countries.
Emily Goodwin, Vice President Public Affairs Author Services, stated, “This course was created as an extension of the Writers of the Future Contest to provide hard-won advice from successful working professionals and a lot of inspiration to provide that helping hand to writers of science fiction and fantasy as initially conceived by L. Ron Hubbard.”
Thousands of entrants were asked what they most looked forward to in winning the Contest. Getting published, award money, and a trip to Hollywood were appreciated, but the most coveted prize was attending the workshops. Goodwin concluded, “We created the workshop basics and made them widely available to all.”
Of the course, Orson Scott Card stated, “I hope viewers will be encouraged to write, and to write better. There are great stories as yet unwritten; I hope the viewers of this course will write them so I can read them.”
The successes of graduates of the workshop have demonstrated its value:
“Very engaging, informative, and educational. All the presenters are excellent. The program helped me focus and hone my craft.” – MP
“The course provides a solid framework for crafting captivating stories, taught by the best in the field! Highly recommended.” – PH
Anyone can sign up for the free writing workshop at Workshop Registration/Login.
L. Ron Hubbard initiated the Writers of the Future Writing Contest in 1983 to provide “a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged.” Based on the success of the writer contest, its sister contest, Illustrators of the Future, was created five years later to provide that same opportunity for aspiring artists.
The Contests’ success is evident in the accomplishments of their winners. The 583 writing contest winners and published finalists have written over 8,000 novels and short stories, with sales topping 60 million copies. The 430 illustrating contest winners have contributed to over 700 books, 500 comics, and 130 major motion pictures, gaming feature films, TV shows, and documentaries.
For more information on the Contests, visit www.writersofthefuture.com.
John Goodwin
Author Services, Inc.
+1 323-466-3310
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
X
Other
Welcome to L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Online Workshop
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
