Avoiding Poetry Contest Scams
August 16, 2005 by John Hewitt
There are many legitimate poetry contests in the world. Unfortunately, there are probably more scams out there than there are legitimate contests. Poetry contests scams prey on people who want to see their names in print. There are so many people in the world who write poetry, and who want to see their poems published.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be published and recognized, but unfortunately the market for poetry is not very big. For every successful book of poetry, there are hundreds of successful novels. This doesn’t mean that you can’t find legitimate poetry publishers and contests, but it makes the task much harder.
Legitimate poetry contests are generally sponsored by newspapers, magazines and accredited schools (such as universities). They offer small prizes and frequently the opportunity to read your poetry at local gatherings or workshops. In a legitimate poetry contest, you will never be charged to be published, and generally you will receive at least one free copy of whatever the publication is that you appear in.
Here are some indicators that a contest is a scam:
Everyone’s a Winner!
Poetry contest scams often have a large number of “winners”. This is because they make money by publishing books of poetry that are bought almost exclusively by the “winners”. In other words, they publish you because they expect you to buy copies of the book. These books generally have thousands of poems in them so that they can charge as many people as possible. Besides the book, they may offer to put your poetry on a plaque, an audio CD or even a web site for a fee.
Big Prizes
Contests with unusually large prizes are very suspicious. If you can win a thousand dollars or more, chances are that you’ll be paying more money than you’ll be getting, often through…
Reading / Entry Fees
Many contests make money by charging you to enter or charging to “read” your poems. These are contests you should be very wary about entering. Contests that charge a fee are either funding the prizes with the fee (not great, but not terrible) or funding the prizes and pocketing the difference (worse). Legitimate poetry contests generally have small prizes and no fees. If you are going to enter a contest with a fee, understand what you are doing — paying to compete with other poets.
Travel Opportunities
While it is a great honor to be asked to read your poetry in front of a gathering of other poets, be careful if a contest selects you as a “winner” and then tries to sell you a trip to a poet’s or writer’s workshop/symposium. If it is going to cost you several hundred dollars to go, and they’re the ones you’re giving the money to, then you’re probably being scammed.
Classes
One of the classic scams is that you will be selected for special poetry writing classes. These scams tell you that your poem is very good, but that you could benefit from one of their teachers. There is nothing wrong with taking poetry classes, but it is wrong to disguise advertisements for classes as a legitimate poetry contest.
Avoiding The Scams
- Always research whatever organization is conducting a contest or offering to publish your poems.
- Think carefully and investigate before you agree to pay a fee to enter a contest or to have your poems published.
- Never agree to pay to have your winning poem published.
- Avoid contests that sound too good to be true.
- Get involved in the poetry community. The more you are involved in and understand the world of poetry, the less likely you’ll be taken in by the cons.
Related links
- Fifteen Writing Exercises (0.500)
- How to Create Fictional Characters Using Adversity (0.500)
- 12 Exercises for Improving Dialog (0.500)
- How to Create Fictional Characters (0.500)
- Writing Productivity -- Using an Idea Log (0.500)
Contact John Hewitt
Writing Content and Web Consulting
Email: hewitt@poewar.comPhone: (520) 261-6104
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Facebook: pwar2
I have two poems on the website poetry.com and i kinda figured out that theywant my money
Me too! I paid for a copy of the book my ‘published poem’ appeared in!
Great! Thanks! Bye!
I was a “semi-finalist” on poetry.com but figured out they wanted me to pay for the book my poem is in (which I didn’t) and attend a convention in Vegas to read my poem. When I failed to reply and sign up for Vegas they sent me something yesterday that said I could get the awards after the convention for $169, plus a magazine subscription and membership in a poetry society. I threw it all away.
Ok!! I have definitely been in Tracey’s & Vickie’s shoes. I love to write and all I want to know is where are the legit sites for writers or contests? I also, suggest that you make sure your work is copyrighted.
I went to Poetry.com as well and they asked for permission to publish it (which I never granted b/c I refused to respond to anything they sent me) and I believe my poem is in one of these books… I feel like I have legal rights here now, simply because I never gave them the rights to my poem. Regardless, stay away because that one is definitely a scam.
so then, after all the complains,where can i find a site that i can conveniently
give my poems to and get real value for it.
I received a letter and a proof from poetry.com, and I returned the proof by Airmail. I live in
New Zealand, which might as well be the other side of the world, for some of you, it is.
I would love to see my poem in print, and I didn’t get sucked into going to he Poetry Convention
in July 2006. My gripe is, the website doesn’t have an email address to ask a question. I am
not making an International Phone call to find out the info i want to know, how do I contact otherwise?
Very needed information found here, thank you for your work
Thank you everyone for offering your experiences with poetry.com. To answer your question, othneil, webdelsol.com is a great place to find legitimate online poetry publishers. You might also want to read my article: Four Ways to Publish Your Poetry.
So, after reading the information, how do we find out what is legit and what is not? I thought Poetry.com was legit. Now I know different. Do we go get copywritten right away? Please help!
Thank you.
This happened to me too at poetry.com, I told them I was not coming to the convention and they told me that for a fee, someone else could read MY work. What a crock, how do I get copywritten, this is a nightmare!!
Your work is automatically copywritten the moment you write it. You do not need to formally register a copyright. If you wish to have legal proof of your copyright, mail your work to yourself and leave it unopened. The date on the envelope will serve as proof of your copyright should you ever need to enforce that right in court.
I had the same thing with Famous Poets of the Western World.
Took 2 years and 500 bucks to get the book, I already have copyright protection
but am ticked that I’m down that much money, I figured it was a con but my parents
thought it was real and basically pushed me to do it, then realized it may be bad
when the book never showed up for the longest time. We were about to call Help Me Hank from
channel 7 but it arived that day.
My brother and I paid for a copy each from Poetry.Com and I to was invited to attend the
convention in Las Vegas in July of this year for a large fee. They also wanted to send me
my rewards for a fee of $169.00. I emailed this Steve Michaels back and told him that a
reward was not something that was paid for. That a reward is something that is earned. If
I was being rewarded for my work then they should be sending my rewards for free. I have
since been sent another request to publish a poem I wrote for my neice that was murdered in
December of 05 that I posted on Poetry.Com and I am glad that I came to this web-site first.
Thank you for the great information.
What is it with poetry.com? I got it too and it was the most important piece of poetry i’ve ever written and now I feel really hurt coz I dunno if it WAS any good or not. Oh and by the way I’M ONLY 13 and they did it to me!
A Google search for any of the following terms, picture.com, The International Library of Photograph, Circle of Photographs will pull up several warnings about the company. They have now gained a national reputation for preying upon unsuspecting photographers.
Everyone who sends a picture in will be accepted into their photo contest and will be published in their Anthologies (provided you actually buy the book.) If you do not purchase the book your photo will not be included.
Does it sound similar to poetry.com, the vanity poetry publisher that has gained a reputation for preying on unsuspecting poets?
It should, because according to one victim of picture.com , Steve Michaels owns both poetry.com and picture.com.
Hi,
I submitted something to Poetry.com on a whim but now that I’ve figured out that it’s a scam, I’d like to withdraw my poem from the competition or establish some copyright on it to prevent plagarism. How do I do this?
Thanks
MLS
I too received a letter from picture.com.The only difference is that I NEVER entered their contest.I posted my picture on a blog site that I belong to.They must have copied it. Luckily, when I signed up at this site It automatically copyrighted anything I post. They were smart enough to make a note at the bottom of my picture they sent to me that it was copy righted by me. My question is how did they know my address to send it to me?….I of course saw through it as a scam the same way I did years and years ago when my daughter entered a “Poetry” contest. I explained to her then that although I thought her poem was a prize winner, THEY were only trying to get her (or my) money. How can I find out if they printed my picture without my permission?
I had a couple of poems on poetry.com and I think they eventually got the picture that sending me internationalle posted letters wasn’t going to convince me to fork over any money. So, in the end, it was their loss when it came to paper, toner and postage
i had three poems on poetry.com but i want to stop -withdraw them i need your help please because they seems to be scammers they are wonderfull spiritual poems please i appreciate your help thank you very much for advice!!!!!!!!
G
I feel vrushed but I appreciate you telling me about this. I got an invite by poetry.com to go to the 21st Annual International Society of poets convention and symposium that is to take place in July of this year. Does anyone know if this is real or not? It does sound too good to be true but I would really like to make sure. Thanks for your help.
Caleb
I have a poem on Poetry.com as well. I can’t find the copyright on http://www.copyright.gov from this shady website. Is the copyright that Poetry.com gave me legitimate? I also notice that when a new year comes around the copyright date changes to that new year.
I put a tune to one of my poems which turned out surprisingly well. I’m wanting to file a copyright with the Register of Copyrights at the Library of Congress. So will I get in trouble with Poetry.com? Really need some answers.
Just one more thing, can someone give me an email address I can contact Poetry.com to withdraw this one poem. I know it can be done because I know a woman who withdrew one of her poems.
Thanks all.
I havent written poety in about 6 years – personal issues. I started writing again this year – and sent a poem into Poetry.com
seem to have received the usual junk by the sounds of your posts.Told me i was a finalist etc and want to publish my poem – i sent it all off thinking they were legitimate. yesterday i received a mail inviting me to the Vegas Convention – thank goodness i stumbled on this site in time.
Thank you all for all your advice. ps My
poem was about my moms battle with brain
cancer – special to me – who cares what
they think.
hey! omfg! i’ve entered some of my poems into poetry.com’s poetry contest! they sent me a letter telling me that i went through to the finals…and oh my gosh i sent money to buy the book! ah! and i read other peoples comments about it and i hope i dont recieve anything asking me to go to vegas! they sent me a letter saying that i won their editors choice award too! and that they wanted to record my poem on a three disc set of 33 poems…but i had to give them permission…and i did! but there was no way that i was going to spend that much money on the cds! i’m so glad i didnt send anymore money. i am SO happy that i found this site…how do you know if a contest isnt trying to scam you?! is there any other sites i aught to watch out for? i wonder if my the links on my site are okay? go there and tell me please? my site is myemopoetry.4t.com
Can someone please help me? I bought into the scam of paying for my poem to appear in a book when I was in my late teens – early twenties. I got the book – I remember it was blue with gold or silver embossing on it. It was in the early 80s. I can’t find the book, however I am trying to find the book to get a copy of it. I thought it was the American Poetry Association, however I cannot find anything online, and this is from memory and that was YEARS ago! Does anyone know what I’m referring to? Thanks.
Hey ok, i thought poetry.com was alright, maybe I was worng! I’m only 15 and I started entering my poems to this website when i was just 13. I’ve gotten letters ever since and I thought ih year thats alright cause i’ve entered ones through my school to and they seem to have the same proces of doing things. I got invited to go to Las Vegas last year and this year, because my parents and I thought it would be a once in a life time thing, they want me to go. I also wanted to go but i’m not so sure now. I mean if it’s not a scam and I do go then great but if it is and i still go then well i guess everyone can guess what will happen.
tell em what to do!
Anna
Can something be done to shut them down?
i hate that website they had me worked up and find out they are the biggest scammers that is bull poetry shouldn’t be paid for like that and it is sad they scamed little kids like me i’m smart but to trick me so bad like that should shut down that site send them to jail
Thank you and I am glad I said no to an offer by International society of poets.
I’m an experienced writer, and have entered many contests: Poetry.com, American Poets Association, etc… Most have been scams. But as long as I know I have rights to my poems, its all good. But recently I’ve entered the Famous Poets, and won. I’ve been invited to their 15th annual convention in Reno, Nevada. I got a lengthy letter and flyer. I checked their site, and so far everything seems so legit. They’ve referenced people, places, other conventions, phone numbers, and companies. I’m about to make a decision. Any commments? Email me plz.
oh…ladyjazzstarr@aol.com. not caring if I share it…its too important.
Jessica,
If you want to go, go, just rest assured that the “Famous Poets” people aren’t holding it out of the generosity of their hearts, they are doing it to make money.
i seemed to have been tricked by poetry.com as well. i was 12 when i wrote a poem and was invited to the poetry symposium in Orlando, FL at Epcot Disney. i wasn’t able to go but now almost 5 years later i have been offered the same opportunity to Reno, Nevada. my dreams were crushed when i missed the first poetry convention, am i to believe that it’s all a sham to get money i don’t even have!! the prize mony i supposedly won is supposeed to be paying for my college and car! What this is doing is destroying dreams and tearing people apart as they do everything to pay for something that isn’t even real! that is soo low… to fool innocent people like that… and shattering an inspired writer and poet’s dream of publication!
yea this really sucks. i got a letter n the mail askin me 2 go 2 nevada. it says :
“Congratulations robin! u are invited 2 our 15th annual poetry convention. u will b honored as a famous poet 4 2007 and will b givin a gold metal of excellence. also, ur invited 2 make a special guest appearance on our new tv show!” blah blah blah. this is the 2nd letter they have sent me. the 1st time they said they wanted 2 publish my poem but i threw the letter away n now they sent me this. i really regret sending n my poem cuz now its out there n who ever has it n idk if they r ganna keep sending me mail n buggin me 2 go 2 where ever. dont b fooled by famouspoets.com. its nothing but a big scam. lucky me though, i never sent n any $
ya no, ive looked up info about this. all i found were scam reports. if so many ppl have been scammed by this, y doesnt somebody go 2 the press about ppl who r tricking others 4 $???
if u wanna talk bout ur scam story email me at this address:
brightnbubbly09@bellsouth.net
i’ll tell u everything i no…
Yeah i recently got a letter for the 15th annual poetry convention, i called the resort and i ask about a convention comming up and I got a flyer in the mail and they said the annunal poetry convention yes we are hosting it. so i dont know to believe them or not…. i checked the BBB on them and i got this:
http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=53002330
I dont know to believe them or go what do you think? message me and lemme know what you think in case i forget about this poage i have till like mid Aug of 07 to ” register” so….yeah…..
Jayme
OMG i just found this! read these links!
http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/reports/0/004/ripoff0004506.htm
http://windpub.com/literary.scams/famous.poets.htm
Hey the reno one is a definite scam—stay away!!
poetry.com is the biggest hoax on the market!! Never give in to their sweet nothings. They only want your money!! If God is for you then who can be against you. Follow that gut feeling. It’s usually right because that gut feeling is usually God trying to get your attention to let you know if something is okay or not. Trust Him and He will make a way for you. A better way and it will not cost you a dime. Each of you who have been scammed you’re not the first or the last but I want you to know that you are in my prayers. God bless you all!! Much love to you.
If there is a poem out there that is yours that has been “published” say for example in poetry.com…even if you didn’t give them the copyrights to your poem(s)…do you not still have rights to those poems?…
especially if you can produce the original copies and any further proof they you in fact wrote them?…i’m so glad i didn’t send them any money…but my poetry…people are so deceiving…it’s not even funny…
Yes, poetry.com is definately a scam. I fell for it twice before I realized what a rip off it was.
What about secretattic.com?
Hi I have experienced all of the above and been very sceptic about it all…recently i was informed that i had been nominated and asked to attend the las vagas convention,which i would of loved to of gone to..but anyhow instead i had the offer of paying x amount to receive my award and to have my poetry on display..i ermmed and arred about it and thought stuff if im gonna pay and see if i get anything if not i would get my money back
it had been several weeks since but i DID receive my award and its really nice and worth alot more then what i paid to have it sent to me…so the way im seeing it ,unlike say for instance the MTV AWARDS which are sponsored the nominees still have to pay to get there flights dont come for free lol or do they i dunno ,but either way poetry.com funds iself by means of us poets this is what im assuming and well yes they publish our poems for free,normally you would have to pay to be publish like with a book ,but i guess well if you do by a book from them with ur work in ,then its kinda paying for itself… dunno i do try to see things from both angles i did at first think wth should i pay for a book with my work in..but with all what i said kinda makes sence i mean nothing comes for free you always have to end up paying for somthing .well thats my view on the matter
I sent in a couple poems to poetry.com back in 2000 or so and got the same form letter telling me I was a semi-finalist. If I wanted a book it was X amount of $, the convention in DC was X amount of $ to attend, a TROPHY! with MY NAME! would cost X amount of $ plus shipping! WOWIE!!
Mmmmmm I love the smell of SCAMS in the morning!
Why would anyone send money for a prize they won? I am glad I didn’t fall for this garbage and feel badly for anyone who did not knowing what kind of racket these people are running.
As for mailing yourself your work in an unopened envelope to prove in court that the work is yours-
This is NOT something that will hold up in court! Anyone could mail an empty, unsealed envelope to themself and keep it for however long they wish. Later on down the road (weeks, months,years if they are dedicated), they see a poem/story/song/whatever and they want to claim it for themselves. They copy down whatever they are wanting to steal, stick it in the envelope, seal it, and say “HEY THIS WAS MINE FIRST! I WROTE THIS BACK IN (whatever the postmark is) AND I’M GOING TO SUE YOU FOR STEALING MY WORK!!
The person can claim they had it on their now defunct website/myspace/livejournal and that it was STOLEN from that now non-exsisting page back when the page (that never was) was still “active”.
Farfetched? When it comes to scammers, they will go to any lengths possible to get what they want. You have to protect yourselves!
i wrote poem on poetry.com, and got those persuading letters in the mail about trophies, books and convention, now i go on the website, and call the number listed on the site and cannot find any of my poems and i had ten on there, they say that they have perished and there is nothing that they can do, somebody help me.
I took this poetry test (to test my poetry knowledge)I actually have never consider myself a “know it all” in poetry but was just blessed with the capibility of writing. Right after I took the (about 10 or 11)questions test,immediately this site from poetry.com follows the questionaire requesting that I send a poem to submit so that I can enter into the “free poetry contest.” As I tried to exit out of that site…suddenly, someone starts chatting with me about submitting a poem. I question this person about copyrights. Would you know that they said…”What do you mean? I don’t understand…I can’t help you with that. Call 410-356-2000.” TALENTED POET…BEWARE!!!
I was “published” on poetry.com, and now I want my poem taken off. Any advice on how to do this? I ignorantly entered their contests, and then after losing, allowed them to publish my poem on their website, believing it was above board. It’s not because I wrote an amazing poem, its because I’ve learned many other poets have experienced what I’m going through. In addition, I now have come to learn, years later, that they are nothing more than an internet scam. Any advice on how to go about removing my poem, and poetry.com having no rights to my poem?
I too had my poem chosen as a winner but after “Googleing” the agency, I found out who the REAL winner is. They did copyright my poem though. There must be an easier way to get published though.
can someone please tell me if this poem is actually worthy of any award? I submitted this to poetry.com…..I wish for a real person to read and critique this
That vacant look
I know it well
Its a look of lost,
In fantasy,
In flight
Through the rays of the sun
A lost memory
Caught
With excitement
Like capturing a butterfly
As I ramble
Like the Eternal Waterfall
You wander,
Into the Japanese lily pads
Like a lost soul
Finding bits of you
In the water
So tranquil & lonely
Hi Ismael,
“A lost memory”, “vacant look” and “lost soul” are all phrases that have been used very frequently in poetry. The images are not very specific or evocative. You also use the word lost three times in this very short poem, and the uses aren’t particularly strong. I think that you show promise as a writer, but I would not give your poem an award. Sorry.
Any advice on removing my poetry off of Poetry.com? Is the copyright a fake? does this mean they now have the copyright to my poetry? Some one Please Help
I also had four of my poems on poetry.com and they sent me a letter saying I could be published and than my friend told me it was a scam so i threw the letter away. It made me so mad because poetry means alot to me and I want to get my poems off there but it won’t let me so I don’t know what to do. I just want to find a legit poetry site and not have to worry someone is going to steal my poems and claim them as there own. Thanks this helped alot so I can avoid scams.
I would just like to find a site where they will tell me the truth if my poem is award worthy or not. I write poetry for myself but it is something I would love to get published but I get worried about people stealing my poems. Im older now and have realized theres alot of scams out there so im going to be as careful as possible. If anyone can help me find some sites that are legit I would be thankful.
i am so mad at poetry.com they only want my money and i figured it out and i quit.
did they send you awards like editors choice?
they did to me
I need help. Many of my teachers have told me that this competition was legit. Now i am not so sure. I really would like to go to the convention but i really don’t know what to do. Did any of you get an e-mail saying that you were an embassador of the poetry thing. That can’t be legit. Someone help me. I am so confused. HELP!
Yep, I have a poem on there too, and after years of them offering the chance to buy all sorts of awards, books…etc that I declined as I do not have a credit card….I figured it maybe a scam, yet still holding onto the wee hope that, yeah maybe my poem is really good….then they invite me to the 22nd annual convention which sounds really exciting, and I want to go, even though I am in n.z.and it would cost me heaps to attend….But…do I really have chance…or does everybody get this same letter….I mean how many finalists are there…and…..if my poem is soooo great, they should be paying me???….but I still have to wonder….”what if?”…..has anyone actually attended 1 of these…does anyone know any winners…..or are they made up too..?Im so confused…but I’d love a trip to America….
Hi Ana,
Feel free to come to America. We’re nice people (really) and the dollar is cheap these days. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking that the trip is a reward. It is simply a way for these people to make money. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time, just that they aren’t inviting you because they love your poem.
well i did get that embassador thing
and im not going to go to that convention because
all they’ll do when you get there is
probably try to get your money
like buying accessories
and others like that
well i have to agree with John Hewitt on all accounts, poetry.com is in business to make money, i too as well as probably 4000 people all over the world are semi finalists, but trust me i am not buying their propaganda or going to their convention. My best audience and critics are myself and my family, i think i am brilliant, he he, and i try to convince my readers of my writings that i am too, but there is room for improvement in all of us, except me, he he. I certainly dont need poetry.com blowing smoke up my pant leg just to get to my money. it does shock me, however, that poetry.com does not care about the pains and sacrifices that some people have gone to in order to get to their previous conventions just to be terribly let down, i have done other research on them and have read some nightmares.
i say about 96% of competitions and sweepstakes are a scam on the internet…poetry.com=a big scam i went through the same thing everyone else did…how can so many people be a semi-finalist???? riiiight…its so many scams on the internet that its not safe to do anything.even publishers clearing house is a scam and they been around for years..theres nothing to protect the people against scams…. so to be honest with yall…on the internet look at everything as a scam..better to be safe than sorry
Drew,
I think your percentage is a little high, but you may be right. I would say that virtually every contest that advertises heavily through adsense or other services is in it for the money. Legitimate poetry contests don’t waste their resources like that.
I have an entry in poetry.com. I noticed everyone is saying it’s just a scam, but I’m not 100% convinced because you don’t HAVE to pay anything or go anywhere if you don’t want to. What mostly worries me is, are the self-copyrights legit? Because if they are not, it is urgent that I remove my poem. I couldn’t even submit the whole thing because of their stupid line limit, and there’s no way I am going to let them steal my precious work. I intend to use the complete poem in a book I am writing. That’s what I originally wrote it FOR, after all. Thanks.
TCD,
They aren’t going to sue you over your poem, and they wouldn’t win if they did. Feel free to publish your poem in your book. Don’t worry about whether or not they publish it. They publish thousands of poems each year. Even they probably don’t keep track of the poems they have published. The only people who read them are the people who buy their books and the only people who buy their books are people who want to see their own poem in print. Nobody will notice yours.
There is a poetry contest I found in a magazine (can’t remember which one) that is based in New York City and is strictly mail-in (i.e. hard copy). It is an Open Amateur Poetry Contest on any subject, 24 lines or less. Entry is free and they give a deadline for entering. Claims that $100,000 in prizes are awarded annually and all who enter will receive a personal critique.
Anyone know if this is legit?
Hi Shelly. No. Not Legit.
After reading all of theese comments i now know that i’m getting ripped off
by poetry.com here i thought it was a legitmate site but i love to write can you tell me where i can write my poems and just get them on the internet so i can share my poems and have a copyright of my poems thanks for giving me a headsup about poetry.com i have an illness and i just want to contribute my feelings on the internet
I was the person that just gave the last comment could you email the info on a site where i can write my poetry and not be scammed thanks katmit917@yahoo.com
The contest that Shelly was talking about seemed legit to me so I entered it. Since the deadline isn’t until July 30th I guess I won’t know for sure. They say that “all those who enter will recieve a personal critique of their poem.” But how I came upon this site is because I got an email from poetry.com telling me that I’m a nominee for Poet of the Year. Which is funny since I don’t even recall giving them any of my poems… It would be nice to find a list of some REAL contests (college students are so desperate for money…), but until then I use allpoetry.com. There you have peers read and critique your poems (if they happen upon it). Hope that helps some ^^
Hi Arukas,
I was hoping my “no, not legit” was clear enough. I guarantee that at some point you will be asked to purchase something. My bet is that you’ll either be selected as a “winner” and asked to go somewhere, or your critique will suggest that you train with one of their instructors. Those are just two ways they might try to sell you. You never know what inventive idea they’ll come up with next. Best of luck to you though. I’ll hope for the best. Rest assured though, that when the “prize” is $100,000, they’re going to find a way to make at least that much from the entrants.
do not submit to white oak press either. i am glad i started researching this before i paid for anything else. i did submit to poetry.com but havent paid for anything. i submitted it to famouspoets.com and figured out that poetry.com has a lot of names including this one. do not be fooled. go to a search engine and search for whatever company and the put scams after it. this might help you find scams. you can also just search poetry scams and will come up with a load of stuff.
i dont think poetry.com is a scam because they said my poem was going to be published but i didn’t order a book because i don’t have any money cause i am only 11 years old i was really excited about this i thought they actually liked my poem when i found out that it was a scam i started crying i was crushed that is why i wrote this sad poem
its called:
Sorrow In My Soul
I sit there on my bed crying,sighing
And inside i feel like i am dying
I lay there crying while my face is in a frown
Cause no one ever wants me around
I always sit there in the blues
And on my heart i feel like there is a big purple bruise
I feel so bad
Because everyone and everything makes me feel sad
Sometimes i feel like if i die
No one would even care to cry
To you i am revealing
All of my small thoughts and feelings
Cause there is no one i can really open up to
And everything i am telling you is true
i was so crushes i was crying while i wrote this comment i thought they really liked my poem
i should have known better. the worst part is my dad was really proud of me and then i let him down.
Same thing happend to me a.g
I am 14 and when I got the letter I was jumping for joy… Then when I started looking up information I stumbled upon the hoax and swindle… They can all go to hell for giving me false hopes…
hey i have some poetry that i have been told was good, and i want to try my hand in poetry contests, anyone know anything lagit
i want my poetry to be published but not in some scam
plz if you have any advice notify me
plz if you find a lagit site email me at RobBob3rd@aol.com
I have just self published a book of poetry called “Mama sewed buttons on it’s face..And I thought that it could see” I also make a CD that is in the back of the book of me reading the poems with soft music behind it. Now comes the fun of trying to get it “out there” visit me and listen at http://www.patpoet .com
In march of 2006 i recieved an Editors choice Award for my Poem from poetry.com and as with most of you i did not buy the Book that my Poem was supposed to have been written in and i did not attend their convention,but i would like to go on record with the rest of these poor souls as just another victim of Poetry.com May they all choke on their ill gotten gain!
Hi out there to you all. I won a medal from poetry.com which was the size of a half dollar. Pure silver worth 75 dollars. I also won $100.oo in the poetry n motion contest years ago, and it took me about 3 years to win again. I figured it was because I wasn’t buying anything. I didn’t go to the awards or pay any out of pocket monies to them. I recently won this year 2009 On February 24th. They didn’t pay me. I have still been looking to get it, but the website has changed now to Lulu.com. I wrote to the new purchaser of that site and they have not answered. You used to be able to call poetry.com, but now the recording says to respond to Info@poetry.com. What a joke on all of us. They got underwater and left us all hanging, and the new site does not allow you to play poetry n motion. Is AMERICA corrupt or not? YOU bet it IS!!!!! People care not anymore, and use others to do deceive for money. Lucky for me I got something before they stiffed me on my win this year. I would suggest putting all your poems in a folder at home where no one can steal them. Then if you can..find a publisher to help you print your own real BOOK for your enjoyment. Leave your poems to your grandchildren to remember you by. They will love your poems when they grow up.
One more thing to watch out for. If they do not have a phone number so that you can ask questions, or ask for the poems you submitted on line be removed, WATCH OUT!!!! Also the email is never answered. REMEMBER THIS….SCAMS!!!!!!!!!! are out there and those people are laughing at us all. AND..SHOULD I get the 100 dollars for my last win on Feb.24th 2009, I will let you know. If you would like to see my poems on Lulu.com, where I didn’t give that website to have them from poetry.com, look under Deborah Kaye Perry!
I have not yet published any poems. I am a fourteen year old who is searching for an honest site that will truly appreciate my passion for poetry. I have been wanting to published them already, but I was worried that some of these sites may be lieing about what they are preparing to offer. I got to this site, (thankfully!) and I have read these various comments and I appreciate for your input on these scam sites (now I know which ones not to go to!
)
If anybody is aware or a hundred percent certain of sites that are available to canadian residents, are not a scam, have a good reward, please feel free to post for my benefit and others. Thankyou.
Hi…I said I would be back and let you know if I received my $100 for winning this year on Feb.24th. I did not, and the LuLu.com website said that poetry.com went out of business,a nd that LuLu.com has nothing to do with what was owed to people fro prizes, YET they do have the url http://www.poetry.com as a website for LuLu.com. PEOPLE…do not post on this sight. You will only be letting them have your poems, and anyone can copy them ans use them anywhere, even though they are copyrighted. KEEP your own poems and share them with firends and family. Save them for your grandchildren to read one day. You get nothing for free on these places. It’s a joke, and I have written them to remove my poems, and they wrote back and said they would. So here’s to waiting to see what happens!!
this very true there are poetry scams out and I’ve been scammed one a long time, but unitedworldpoets poetry contests are free to enter which means their anti scam. But in all seriousness I know how you scammed poets which is why I run free poetry contests.
.-= Nat´s last blog ..UNITEDWORLDPOETS-MYTHIC POETRY =-.
I don’t know how my comment got all screwed up but what I was trying to say is that I know how you feel if you’ve ever been scammed by the host of a poetry contest. At unitedworldpoets we always run free cash-prize poetry contests and I plan on running our next one at the end of this month.
.-= Nat´s last blog ..UNITEDWORLDPOETS-MYTHIC POETRY =-.