Is Poetry.com a scam?

[blackunicorn]

Hi all,
As you can see I'm new to the forums. I want to know if any of you out there are familiar with poetry.com and what you think about it? I had a poem published in one of their books (A Surrender to The Moon), and I want to know if I have been scammed or if thery are for real! Thanks!!


Blackunicorn :banana:

[mono]

Hello, blackunicorn, welcome to the forum. :)
Yes, unfortunately, many amateur poets have discovered the dark sides of poetry.com. You may find these links helpful from other threads:

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4231
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=833
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2558

[Bongitybongbong]

Hello, blackunicorn, welcome to the forum. :)
Yes, unfortunately, many amateur poets have discovered the dark sides of poetry.com.

Here here! :mad:

[ktrboston]

I am new to this forum but here is my insight on ILP

I have also submitted several poems to ILP and 2 got published. The most recent one has convinced me that it is all a scam to get your money. Of course I am one of those lovely individuals who bought the book" Surrender to the Moon " series where my poem was on the first page. I even now I am not that good if good at all but I know I am not a page one person. The last one I bought I was on page 73 which is probably the order it was received. Well, I wish you the best of luck.

"After seeing Metropolis"
Death and destruction
We the mighty ones
are the creative souls
Blood painted streets
Fill the sewers with
Human remains of our bothers
The mighty sacrilege
Office-dwellers sit high above
In an alternative world
Noses pointed up
Never to look down
The death and destruction
They care so little about.....

[satyrnchild]

I was also published in A Surrender to the Moon and was a little suspicious to find my poem on the very first page!

I mean, I know it's a business like any, but I found it outrageous that you have to pay $500 to go to their convention to get your award! If my poem was really good enough, they would just put it in the mail or something.


I am new to this forum but here is my insight on ILP

I have also submitted several poems to ILP and 2 got published. The most recent one has convinced me that it is all a scam to get your money. Of course I am one of those lovely individuals who bought the book" Surrender to the Moon " series where my poem was on the first page. I even now I am not that good if good at all but I know I am not a page one person. The last one I bought I was on page 73 which is probably the order it was received. Well, I wish you the best of luck.

"After seeing Metropolis"
Death and destruction
We the mighty ones
are the creative souls
Blood painted streets
Fill the sewers with
Human remains of our bothers
The mighty sacrilege
Office-dwellers sit high above
In an alternative world
Noses pointed up
Never to look down
The death and destruction
They care so little about.....

[Writerwoman]

Poetry.com is in the business of selling books and conferences. To them everyone is a winner.....a paying winner. They know that we all want to see out stuff in print and they use that to sell books to poets and their families.
ANYONE can post to Poetry.com.

[MichaelKirkJohn]

Well, you have to be careful. I'm sure they use submissions to promote their ability to generate income and to add your name to other's marketing efforts. However, if you can submit poetry to any medium, even if it exploits, it may give you exposure that is profitable for you as long as they do not lock you into some, perverse contract. Read the fine print on their agreement, to post your creation, to make sure it does not go out of bounds.

[Tennessee_Angel]

I also bought the book, A Surrender To The Moon, and my poem was on the first page. I think who ever bought the book, the book they got has their poem on the first page. An editor friend of mine, told me if someone publishes an article, poem or book..you usually get paid by the company and you get a free copy of the publication. So Yes they are a scam..think about it. If our peotry was that good, they would fly us out to the convention for free and we would not have to pay for anything.


I was also published in A Surrender to the Moon and was a little suspicious to find my poem on the very first page!

I mean, I know it's a business like any, but I found it outrageous that you have to pay $500 to go to their convention to get your award! If my poem was really good enough, they would just put it in the mail or something.

[Ancestor]

I do not know about most of you but I have been told up front that I would not recieve money for my poems being published but I do have the copy rights and that is legit. I also did not get on page one at first and not until my poems were in the Best poets of the year books. I was asked permission to have my very first one published and I have heard some publishing would have to come out of pocket especially if you are a first timer. Sometimes you must put out money to get published period. Scam or not the poems I have on the Internet through poetry.com I have gotten good comments from people I do not know even. Are you sure it is poetry.com and poets.com that is scamming people? I know that sounds like I am defending poetry.com but I also know that The International Poets Library has a good reputation for decades now. Not at one point in time have they demanded money from me and I have been published on the Internet before buying a book. I have never gone to their conventions and cannot afford too but if I were the company I would not offer to take people for free it would bankrupt me. Just a opinion here.

[Lassa]

My was brother published in "Echoes Of Yesterday". 1994(?). I received a copy of "A Surrender To The Moon" today. My poem ("Untitled", Ken Neugebauer) is on the first page. I paid nothing for this book. Did I get ripped off? I have been ripped off many times before, and I don't see the angle here. Please enlighten me. :alien:

[Tennessee_Angel]

I don't know if you got ripped off...I don't know how you got a book without paying for it..I paid $57.95 for my copy, and it has my poem on the first page, I looked for your poem in my book and it isn't in it..the more I search the more I am beginning to believe my poem is only in the book I bought..did I get ripped off..I don't know for sure..I do have my poem, in print, in a book. I just hope I find my poem in another book besides mine..then I can feel better about what I paid. :angel:

[Lassa]

Well.............
It is totally umpossible for your poem to be on the first page, cause MINE is.
You obviously didn't use a microscope on that so called blank page.
Seriously, mine is first in my book. I sent them a check for the book, read some things about a possible scam, and stopped payment on the check. Error or... SINSTER PLOT? Perhaps they are in league with the US Government to make us believe _________ (fill in the blank). If I use the terriorist word any more in complete sentences, they say that they will put me in a dark hole and feed me brussel sprouts with no butter or salt.
So, I've got a book (free) and my poem is on the first page. Attached is my poem. Would love to see yours, :Angel:

Lassa

[Admin]

I do not know about most of you but I have been told up front that I would not recieve money for my poems being published but I do have the copy rights and that is legit. I also did not get on page one at first and not until my poems were in the Best poets of the year books. I was asked permission to have my very first one published and I have heard some publishing would have to come out of pocket especially if you are a first timer. Sometimes you must put out money to get published period. Scam or not the poems I have on the Internet through poetry.com I have gotten good comments from people I do not know even. Are you sure it is poetry.com and poets.com that is scamming people? I know that sounds like I am defending poetry.com but I also know that The International Poets Library has a good reputation for decades now. Not at one point in time have they demanded money from me and I have been published on the Internet before buying a book. I have never gone to their conventions and cannot afford too but if I were the company I would not offer to take people for free it would bankrupt me. Just a opinion here.


You bought it hook, line, and sinker.


That little handwritten note on Lassa's scan shows just how insidious these people are -- thats not handwritten, thats just a natural font generated by a computer. Everyone gets a little "handwritten" note on their proof to encourage them to send money.

The problem is some people are so desperate to be published that they lose all common sense when someone starts giving them compliments.

These are vanity publishers for a reason, they prey on the vanity of authors who do not doubt that their work is indeed good enough to be published.

http://www.sfwa.org/beware/vanitypublishers.html

http://www.vanitypublishing.info/

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/goods-service/scams/fs_v01.shtml

Don't waste your money. If you really want to have your work published, self publish it, it will be no less legitimate than what you get from a vanity publisher like Poetry.com, ILP, etc.

[Ancestor]

You bought it hook, line, and sinker.


That little handwritten note on Lassa's scan shows just how insidious these people are -- thats not handwritten, thats just a natural font generated by a computer. Everyone gets a little "handwritten" note on their proof to encourage them to send money.

The problem is some people are so desperate to be published that they lose all common sense when someone starts giving them compliments.

These are vanity publishers for a reason, they prey on the vanity of authors who do not doubt that their work is indeed good enough to be published.

Don't waste your money. If you really want to have your work published, self publish it, it will be no less legitimate than what you get from a vanity publisher like Poetry.com, ILP, etc.

I am not paying as much money for a book now as I did when I first started buying them ten years ago. That handed written message never appeared my proof sheets plus it was done as sloppy as that one was. Scam or not I choose to see the positive from this experience. In fact on his proof sheet there is information missing on then the one's I received. So, how do we prove or disprove? Guess we truely cannot without solid evidence which I have not seen yet.

[Lassa]

Thank you, Admin, for the diplomacy.
I haven't been a member of the forum for very long.
I don't have 30 published poems to my credit.
I just have the one.
I have never claimed TO ANYONE that I am a poet.
One night I was sitting here drinking Single Malt and saw an ad for a poetry contest. I submitted my poem. I have written several things that mean something to me. There are a lot of people to whom I need to explain the metaphors in my words. I study nmartial arts. Swords, open hand, etc. The name of this poem is Dragonfly. I won't bore anyone with the meanings in it. I know that I have a book with a poem in it. If I could afford to self publish a book of poems, I would get new Bogu instead.
It is said that with every cloud there is a silver lining. Nobody says how large the lining is.

[Ancestor]

First of all my apologies to Lassa for anything I said. This subject has me so confused due to what everybody is saying. I have heard people saying their books had their poem pasted into the front and that the text type was different from the rest of the book. My books do not have that and also heard someone paying 100 dollars more then I did for one book. I just do not know what to believe at this point. I guess I am just going to enjoy seeing my poems in the books I have and make this a positive experience and leave it at that. Again to Lassa or anyone if I said something out of line my sincere apology.

[Admin]

You know Lassa etal, with print on demand technology the cost to publish your own book is far far less than what you paid to Poetry.com for one of their books.

Cafepress (http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/storeref.aspx?refby=thelitnet) for example offers such a service. Click on that link, then up on the grey menu bar "Products You Can Sell"

[KnowingThePages]

It is my personal belief that poetry.com is a scam. I also received a letter and emails stating that I had been elected to win the best prize or something like that. I never went as they wanted alot of money. But most publishing companys do indeed send you a free copy of the book in which you are published and not charge.

[kathysmom]

Hi All,

My 13 year old daughter also submitted her poem to poetry.com and after I received the book A Surrender to the Moon and saw her poem on page 1, I figured it was a scam. Sorry but in my opinion poetry.com really stinks to "scam" people and I am taking my fight to the attorney general of Maryland J. Joseph Curran , Jr. I hope a lot of people will follow me in reporting them.

[cuteasabubble18]

I also posted a poem on Poetry.com I got the letter to come collect my award, yet as soon as I showed it to mum, she said it was a scam.
Can anyone tell me if my poem is in one of the books?
It is called Skye by Melissa Shea.
Thank you much appreciated.

[jon1jt]

I posted some poems on Poetry.com for $5.00 and they guaranteed me 14 reviews, which they delivered. The reviews for each poem - consisting of no more than two sentences - demonstrated that the reviewer barely glanced the work, if at all. Has any one had a similar experience? Thanks.

[Brina_1192]

Yes it maybe a scam. I also was published in A Surrender to the Moon and I to was published on the front page. Since they have updated to Lulu Poetry I have lost the poems that had been there online.

[Destinylovesyou]

I went to Poetry.com, when i was like 12, i am currently 15. I went there, because another website, took me there instead. Well, it said too write a poem. So i did. It was one about the holiday coming up: Halloween. It was dumb and corny, and i knew i wouldn't win anything from it. Well. It was two months later that i got the letter. I was away from home at the time, with my grandparents. My mom called me and told me about my recently new talent. Trust me i was happy and thinking about all the cool things i could buy [note i was 12]. So, when i got home, i screamed and all that. I felt like i was meeting someone famous. Then. Two days later, i got another letter only this one was tan and had an award on it too. "editor's choice award presented to Destiny Vaughn December 2006 for outstanding achievement in poetry presented by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry. Well. Then it was signed by Howard Ely. I thought it was real. I got the lettr saying it was going too be in Immortal Verses some book or something. I was even happier then they told me i had to go to Las Vegas, Nevada to get the money...well sadly my mom couldn't afford it. We sent money in for the book. I'm 15 it still hasn't shown up. I just so happened to want too look at my poem today...cause i found the letters in my memory box...and i came across everyone else saying it's a scam...and well i did cry. I thought i was actually good at something...well apparently not. ..ever since that day in December, i've written alot more songs and poems. but i ripped em up when i seen this was a scam...can anyone help as to where i can delete my poem from that horrible site. I'm quite embarrassed about it now. :/

-Destiny Vaughn, 15.

[Dinkleberry2010]

I doubt if you can delete it. If it's any solace to you, I too have been taken in (along with hundreds, maybe thousands of others) by poetry.com, and especially by the International Library of Poetry--about 25 years ago. It's been in business for a long time. Fortunately, I decided not to buy one of their books that one of my poems supposedly was in, so I didn't actually lose anything. But the bottom line is this: Both poetry.com and The International Library of Poetry are in the business of selling books and making money--that's all they're interested in--they couldn't care less about poetry.

[AdobeFlats]

It's probably of little comfort to the people who've been conned into parting with money to see their work in print, but this also happens in the UK. Probably the world over.