（外文电子版资料）A Very Special Trip - L. Ron Hubbard Dave Wolverton.docVIP

SCANNED BY PUDGE FEB 28,2000 A VERY STRANGE TRIP L. RON HUBBARD DAVE WOLVERTON Preface A little over fifteen years ago, L. Ron Hubbard published a science-fiction novel, Battlefield Earth, which became one of the best-selling and best-loved novels in its field. (That work has since sold over five million copies and a recent Random House Modern Library readers poll ranked it among the top three best novels of the twentieth century.) At the same time, as Ron reentered the field of science fiction after a hiatus of nearly thirty years, he recognized how closed the genre had become to new authors. I happened to be a new author fifteen years ago, and I well recall studying the markets for short fiction only to find that among the top four science-fiction magazines, perhaps no more than ten new writers might be published in any given year. As on other occasions throughout his 55-year literary career, Ron came up with a great idea to help aspiring writers enter the professional ranks. He initiated a contest to encourage new writers and call attention to their work. He even arranged for top writers of speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy and horror) to judge the competition. Thus L. Ron Hubbards WRITERS OF THE FUTURE Contest was born. It has since discovered and helped launch the careers of hundreds of talented writers who have gone on to publish over 250 novels and over 2,000 short stories. It is widely recognized as the premier venue in the field for discovering new writing talent. The L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award, which goes to the annual grand-prize winner, has taken its place beside the Hugo and Nebula Awards as one of the most coveted prizes in the field of speculative fiction. There is even a companion contest for new illustrators. My own involvement in the Contest began with a recommendation from M. Shayne Bell, who had previously received a first-place quarterly prize. Shortly thereafter, I, too, managed a first-place award, then a grand prize in 1987. I will