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Poetry.com / International Library of Poetry / Watermark Press

DeadlyAccurate

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Didn't seem to affect me. I get about four spam emails a week begging me to let them publish my poem. And of course, my poem was an Editor's Choice, just as PVish predicted.
 

Aprylwriter

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Awhile ago I sent in a "bad" poem to them on purpose, and I kept getting the same emails/letters. Recently I unsubscribed from their mailing list/newsletter, and I haven't gotten anymore emails since then.

Apryl
 

ebrillblaiddes

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Well, this thing is beyond bad...it's not even pronounceable...it's based on something that got caught in my blog's spam filter. Took me about two seconds to copy, paste, and add linebreaks. I'm going to collect a bunch and make a sting manuscript for PA too :D

I've got at least one family member who still thinks that Poetry.com is for real; I'm hoping that somewhere in this, she'll see the light.
 

Aprylwriter

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LOL that's kinda funny. My sister submitted to poetry.com awhile ago, too, and I had to tell her it was a vanity press. She still writes poetry.

Apryl
 

Bartholomew

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Well, this thing is beyond bad...it's not even pronounceable...it's based on something that got caught in my blog's spam filter. Took me about two seconds to copy, paste, and add linebreaks. I'm going to collect a bunch and make a sting manuscript for PA too :D

I've got at least one family member who still thinks that Poetry.com is for real; I'm hoping that somewhere in this, she'll see the light.

Technically, you know, that's plagiarism.
 

ebrillblaiddes

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Technically, you know, that's plagiarism.
Actually, it's a derivative work known as a "found poem." I added the linebreaks :D

And I have this notice on my site:
By commenting, you agree that I may store and display your comments, and use them in other non-commercial ways, at no cost. If I make any money directly from your comments (such as including them in a purely-hypothetical future book) I will make every effort to split the money proportionately.
 

Glowjo76

Sadly to say, my story is the same. When I was 14 I saw an ad in my local paper for a poetry contest. I sent in a few of my poems. Some time later I recieved an acception letter. In the letter I was told that for $100.00 I could fly out to California and go to a banquet that was being held for the winners & recieve my trophy & even be on Entertainment Tonight. (They cover the banquet every year, at least that's what the letter said). At the time my parents couldn't afford it, so I wasn't able to go. I called the number they gave me for my reservation & told the guy who answered I wasn't able to attend. His words, "Ok, thank you for calling. Goodbye." Before he hung up, I asked him how I would be able to get my trophy. He said since I wouldn't be attending the banquet, they would send me a certificate instead. Gee, thanks! Of course I could buy the book for $49.95, (publisher's offer). I have always been proud of the fact that one of my poems is published, but now I have mixed feelings about being scammed. (By the way, I never did get the certificate!) I would like to find the book. Unfortunately my letter is packed away somewhere & I don't remember the name. I just remember National Library of Poetry and the year was 1990 or 1991 when this took place. I've been trying to find it online, but I keep coming up with dead ends. If anyone has any ideas on how I can find the book, please contact me at [email protected]. My husband says at least my poem is published & that's the important thing!
 

the bunny hugger

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Let it go. The books are like phone books and have poems packed on every page. Seeing it would only be more depressing.
 

CaoPaux

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Unfortunately, the books don't exist in the "real" world. If you'd ordered one, you'd have either never received it, or received the same book sent to every "winner" who ordered one, only with your poem pasted on the front page instead of theirs. A scam any way you cut it, alas.
 

James D. Macdonald

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The National Library of Poetry took however many pre-orders they got, and printed just that number of books. The only people who'll have 'em are other folks in the book.

But listen: here's how you can get something Just As Good. Get any volume of poetry at all. Print out your poem. Paste it on one of the pages.

That's all they did.
 

matdonna

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Poetry.com ads on Facebook

Today I spotted a poetry.com ad on Facebook. I couldn't find a dedicated thread on the boards here right away, so I posted a Wikipedia article. That may not have been the best, but it is something.

My second impulse was to start a Facebook group dedicated to educating aspiring writers about literary scams and bad publishers. Perhaps there needs to be a Facebook petition against advertisers who are unethical. But I don't feel like I know enough, and also that it might be biting off more than I can chew-- I already administer the Canadian SF & Fantasy group there, as well as a couple of Orthodox groups.

So I thought I'd come here and see if any of you who are on Facebook would be interested in creating a kind of "absolute write scambusters" presence or something of that sort.

Facebook has a huge pool of...what scammers must regard as chickens to be plucked. If poetry.com is wading in, can Publish America be far behind?

I'd love to be involved in this kind of group, I just know that I'm not up to taking the reins by myself.
 

kimmeunier

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Wow, I am floored. I submitted a poem, and have been receiving junk mail up the wazoo in the last two weeks. My poem has been selected. I knew right away, that they were scamming me. Why do I have to pay for a book, for them to put the poem I wrote?

What's really funny, is the lousy poem I submitted, well I had a poetry critique on another foum, and I was told it wasn't very good. Good on an "average" level, but horrible on a professional level. And to think I got excited when I read the email that my peom had been chosen. I'm just glad they didn't get any of my money!
 

matdonna

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kimmeunier, good for you for not falling for the scam. Keep hanging around AbsoluteWRite and work on your poems. There are lots of legitimate places to get your poetry published. You would be much better going with, for instance, an online magazine that caters to newbie poets than with poetry.com/ILP. Good luck with your poems!
 

Christine N.

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I ran into a woman last night who's daughter had a poem 'selected' for a poetry.com book. Young girl, middle school. Her school ponied up for two books - one for the school and one for the family.

I didn't have the heart to say anything. There was just no way.
 

kimmeunier

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oh-- and did you happen to find them via their Facebook ad, or some other of their many advertizing venues?

Thanks for the advice for submitting my poetry, but I think I will spare anyone the pain of reading it. As far as finding them, I was just writing poetry one day, I do that once in awhile just for fun, and googled poetry, and there is it was. Another thing about this website is all the popups! I've never had a problem with popups, and actually diabled it a few months ago. It was screwing up some of my other memeberships, anyway every time I go to poetry.com now, I am inudated with garbage. They are just bad, bad, bad!
 

AnneMarble

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I looked up Watermark Press on the Greater Maryland Better Business Bureau site, and the listing says "This organization is not a BBB Accredited business." This is a recent change in the way companies are listed -- from what I understand, companies no longer get the BBB member status. Instead, they have to become an accredited business.

Wasn't Watermark Press previously listed as a member organization? I guess they can't do that anymore. :D Let's hope they can't earn accredited status.

Their Reliability Report is interesting. I wonder about all those complaints that say something like "BBB determined that despite the company's reasonable effort to address complaint issues, the consumer remained dissatisfied." I wonder what that "reasonable effort" was and who said it was reasonable -- the business?
:ROFL:
 

Khazarkhum

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Their Reliability Report is interesting. I wonder about all those complaints that say something like "BBB determined that despite the company's reasonable effort to address complaint issues, the consumer remained dissatisfied." I wonder what that "reasonable effort" was and who said it was reasonable -- the business?
:ROFL:

All they really have to do is make a 'good faith' effort to fix the problem. If you get a lousy paint job on your car, complain, and the shop does nothing, you take it to BBB. They call the shop, where the owner has his ace repaint your car. You're happy, the BBB says everything's OK.

But if you have the car painted, and no matter what color it is you aren't satisfied, the shop says it's done all it can & the BBB is likely to agree. There's no rule that says you have to constantly repaint the car for a customer who clearly is never going to be happy. The customer still bitches, but the BBB says a reasonable effort was made.

What may have happened is this: Poet enters, figures it's a stepping stone to glory, and when all they get is ridicule from the real world, bitches & sues. Watermark says they don't guarantee your future outside of their company. BBB says they're being reasonable. Case closed.
 

AC Crispin

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BBB ie useless when it comes to warning about writing scams. They wouldn't know a writing scam if it bit them on the patootie.

Stick with Writer Beware and P&E to warn about writing scams.

-Ann C. Crispin
 

Khazarkhum

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Unfortunately a lot of people have come to believe that if they bitch about a business enough, they'll get whatever it is they wanted for free.

Probably people think that Watermark will make them famous, like PA. When that doesn't happen, they complain. BBB doesn't do anything because there's not really much they can do. Your work was printed, right? No one can be forced to buy your books, right? As long as the vultures actually produce something, they're OK in the eyes of the BBB.
 

AnneMarble

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BBB ie useless when it comes to warning about writing scams. They wouldn't know a writing scam if it bit them on the patootie.
That's true. Although to be fair to her, the president and CEO of the Maryland BBB has warned people about Poetry.com on radio segments. (She has a regular segment on The Ed Norris Show.) As far as I know, no warnings about PA yet.

Stick with Writer Beware and P&E to warn about writing scams.
I do. Unfortunately there are so many people who look to the BBB first and never think of searching anywhere else. Well at least with Poetry.con, there are lots of complaints listed. So even if most of them are listed as resolved, someone might think "Where there's smoke..."

Unfortunately a lot of people have come to believe that if they bitch about a business enough, they'll get whatever it is they wanted for free.

Probably people think that Watermark will make them famous, like PA. When that doesn't happen, they complain. BBB doesn't do anything because there's not really much they can do. Your work was printed, right? No one can be forced to buy your books, right? As long as the vultures actually produce something, they're OK in the eyes of the BBB.
Yeah, there's not much someone can do if they wanted real recognition for a poem or something like that. Many of the complaints seemed to be about nondelivery of books, though. That seems to be a major problem with Watermark, probably because not everyone who sends a poem signs the release forms, and that holds up books. (I don't think I signed anything for the bad poem I wrote about spam. Maybe I should have. Maybe I was holding up other people's poems. :cry:)
 

Rodlen

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I have some bad news for all of you.

Last year, an online course on language arts that I took had a poetry section. The poetry section directed people to Poetry.com. This was an OpenSchool BC course, and a rather heavily used one.