Poetry.com scam????
I am only 12 so i have no idea what tod o. all the websites say that it is a scam I sent a poem in called to fly is to be and it won and is going to be published and I was also asked to join an exclusive club. What should I do?!!!
Comments
YES YES YES. It is a scam! Everybody wins. Everybody gets published. All you have to do is PAY. Try sending them the worst poem you can possibly write and you will get the same letter. I have done it. Many here know I advocate for novice authors.
First they will ask you to pay for a copy of your book - with your poem in it. Then they will invite you to a convention - at your expense - so that they may give you an award as one of their Poets of the Year. The convention will cost you several hundred dollars. Nothing will happen except they will give you a cheesy trophy or plaque. They give them to everyone who shows up.
I try very hard to spread the word but apparently you didn't get it. You have to learn to advocate for yourself in a world where there are many scams. Self publishing is a terrible scam, too. I star all Q and A with great information about publishing and writing. Go to my profile and go through them. Print out any that you think will help you. There are many about poetry.com.
Before you send anything to anyone you should check them out. Preditors and Editors and Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks have a ton of information for novice authors. So do Writers Wall and many other sites. Google the heck out of the company and check for information about people being ripped off. If it is there, you will find it.
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They're, Their, There - Three Different Words.
Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.
Pax - C
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RE:
Poetry.com scam????
I am only 12 so i have no idea what tod o. all the websites say that it is a scam I sent a poem in called to fly is to be and it won and is going to be published and I was also asked to join an exclusive club. What should I do?!!!
Definite scam. If you haven't given them any money, you should be safe enough.
This is a thriving business that does not consider quality when publishing poetry. That doesn’t mean the books they publish don’t contain some good work, but that’s not why they’re published. They know a certain number of the poets whose work appears there will pay $60 for a copy of "their" book, or attend $600 poets’ conventions (not including meals or hotel) because they’re winning an award. That’s how they make their money.
Virtually everyone who submits a poem becomes a finalist. ABC’s “20/20” did an exposé in which an entire second-grade class submitted its poems. Every one of them received an offer to publish.
They've scammed thousands of hopeful poets of hundreds of thousands of dollars under many, many names. Absolute Write's Bewares and Background Checks board has several hundred posts going back for more than five years detailing what the company has promised its poets and what they've actually received, plus the many names under which they've done business, including poetry.com, the American Library of Poetry, the International Library of Poetry, the National Library of Poets, and Watermark Press.
Stay away and count yourself lucky. (Absolute Write has a good poetry board, BTW, with many accomplished poets. They can help you evaluate your work and direct you toward legitimate placements.)
See the poetry.com listing at Wikipedia for details and news stories.
Of course you won, everybody wins at Poetry.com then you have give them money for a copy of the book.
It is a scam, that's why all the websites you found say it is a scam.
Stop now before you get into trouble.
Poetry.com
Wull, in 2005 I had my pome *turned down* !!! ~
(after hilariously getting an initial acceptance letter with it prominently displayed in the glassine window first - much to my delight)!
Here it is...I wuz broken hearted when they finally read it & wrote back it didn't "qualify"...
Hillbilly’s folly
Yall come a runnin tar poe-tree con vanshion,
An reedger kool pome taar gests a destankshun!
An yul probly win the big ol’ twenny gran
An came bakkat silver bole a wagin’ in han!
Heer Tony Or lan doe-Wow! but wha’ … No Dawn?
Wul, how long hazzit bin since that dude was
‘on’?
Lessee ma ate tracs now, purt’ neer thirdy years,
Whudda yall pain’im …fiddy bucks an sum beers?
Wul maybe I bedder jes stay on tha farm
But Wagner an Snotgrass isa twistin ma arm
Ta deprive tha werld uv ma talent an vishion
Wud jes be a downrite shelfish dechishion!
Aw, dam tha tore-peeders, am jes gonna go!
Aint never had no lavish banquit ‘afore,
An iffn all I brang home is that ol bole
Al keep it fer peenin – ma secant cammode!
Anonymous
It's great to see a someone of your age interested in poetry! Congrats. Don't be turned away from the beautiful craft of poetry by a con artist.
I wouldn't waste any time or money with poetry.com. It's definitely a scam. No writer has to pay to see their work in print from a respectable publisher. If you are "good enough" to be published, then the publisher usually pays you with money, with copies, or with recognition (literary journals are good for promoting your writing).
You should focus instead at finding a local contest at your school, library, or local bookstore to submit to. Also, be sure to read lots of different types of poetry!
Enjoy, and good luck!
Poetry.com is a vanity press that publishes every poem they receive (no matter how good or bad,) basically to stroke people's egos and convince them to purchase copies of the books and extra fluff for excessive prices. They also hold conventions and try to get people to pay something like $600 to attend, claiming it's a special convention only for select poets and winners.
Just don't send them any money or reply to any of their mails or offerings. And don't send them anymore poetry. Nothing bad should happen if you don't actually do anything. They'll keep sending mail, just tear it up and throw it away.
Yup, this scam has been around for years under a variety of names. Don't fall for it. The article below explains how the scam works in detail.
Don't send them any money. It's a scam & they tried to get me, as well, until a friend mentioned how his sister got scammed on it. I got all the same stuff you did. CD offer, book offer, everything. It's not real.