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The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast Now Available on YouTube

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast is now available on YouTube in addition to the many podcast platforms where it is currently available.

The importance of this expansion becomes very clear with the volume of podcast listens that YouTube provides. Musically.com reported in a May 2022 article that YouTube now holds 24.2% of the podcast listener market share, ahead of Spotify (23.8%) and Apple Podcasts (16%).

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast launched in April 2019 and currently has 196 published episodes with over 36 million downloads in over 110 countries. And this week, the first several Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcasts were made available on YouTube, beginning with Episode #1 Contest Director Joni Labaqui.

Mr. Hubbard noted when creating the Writers of the Future Contest in 1983 that “The competition is very keen and even dagger sharp.” It appears to be no less accurate in the ever-growing world of podcasts. There are currently 2.4 million podcasts globally, with 66 million podcast episodes. Podcast industry statistics show that a podcast episode with 9,000 monthly downloads across multiple channels will find itself in the top 5% of podcasts. The average podcast, however, earns 141 downloads in the first month.

“The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast episodes over the three years of its existence are averaging over 183,000 downloads per episode,” stated podcast host John Goodwin. Visit Soundcloud.com/writersofthefuture. “We look forward to a greatly increased listenership as we add YouTube to our available platforms.”

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast provides education on necessary skills and hard-won business acumen while enhancing the ability to tell or illustrate a good story. It is dedicated to providing writing tips and art advice from Contest judges, winners, and industry professionals, as well as needed inspiration to the aspiring writer or artist to persevere. Each writer and artist also explains their journey to success. Between all the show’s guests, there is a story that everyone can relate to and be inspired by. The podcast is based on the internationally acclaimed Writers of the Future Contest created by L. Ron Hubbard in 1983.

The writing and art podcast is one of several tools for aspiring writers and artists by the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests. For nearly four decades—and over 900 writers and artists—L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests have discovered and nurtured a steady stream of new talent who have changed the face of science fiction and fantasy. With entrants from over 175 countries, these Contests provide “a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged,” as per the mission statement by L. Ron Hubbard in the first volume.

In addition to Contest winners, guests of the podcast have included such industry giants as Craig Alanson (Expeditionary Force series), Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), Echo Chernik (Art Nouveau artist), Tom Doherty (Publisher of Tor), Bob Eggleton (winner of 11 Chesley Awards), Larry Elmore (Dragonlance artist), Hugh Howey (Silo), Larry Niven (Ringworld), Tim Powers (On Stranger Tides), Rob Prior (Spawn and Heavy Metal artist), A.G. Riddle (The Atlantis Gene), Robert J. Sawyer (WWW Trilogy), Dean Wesley Smith (Seeders Universe), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn), Toni Weisskopf (Publisher of Baen Books), and Tom Wood (Tom Wood Fantasy Art).

writersofthefuture.com is the hub for the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests. It includes the history of each awards event, all Contest judges, and how to enter the Contests. Additionally, the Forum, Blog, and Podcast are easily accessed.

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