Poetry.com / International Library of Poetry / Watermark Press

We all know this, but....

We all know poetry.com is a scam. But my friend Lis compiled a pretty good list of helpful articles, funny letters to poetry.com, poems sent in as a joke that warranted publication by them, etc. Just thought some people might want to see.

www.livejournal.com/commu...26261.html

Re: We all know this, but....

Good for her! They're another bunch of heartless vultures preying on people's desperate desire to be 'published'.

It's a shame Dante's not still around. I'm sure he could have created another circle of hell for the likes of them and PA.

Cheers,
aq

Re: poetry.com

I had a lot of aggravation from them. Went to a similar website and found out this company owns other sites like photo.com, etc. and scams everyone. They're only after your money. Fortunately, when they started talking money, I reported them to the BBB. As posted, the BBB says they are not doing anything illegal, only immoral. Poets, BEWARE! Better to publish in the small press publications and at least get free copies of your work.

wow, spammers :/

I submitted a poem to them back in like...1997 or something...

yet I see mail in my throw away email address from them saying I'm going into their 2004 book...how very cute.

Poetry.Com

And now, for something completely different! A PublishAmerica/Poetry.com crossover!

A hapless soul on the PublishAmerica boards asks:

It seems to me that everyone who thinks that poetry.com is a scam, is trying to figure out where exactly the scam is. Several authors here have participated in their contest and won prizes that were paid, ordered books that were delivered. Some went to their party's that they really gave. Where in the heck is the scam? I have two of their books sitting on my coffee table for my company to read and they've both been borrowed several times as they were found to have merit, yes, I paid for them and the price was high. But on the other hand one web site charges $28.95 for my 88 page paperback book of poems, and apparently they are getting it from some body. This is America folks, you can charge whatever you damn well please for a book or anything else. A product is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it,period.

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Where's the scam? It's in the cover price, my friend. ... yes, I paid for them and the price was high.

...one web site charges $28.95 for my 88 page paperback book of poems, and apparently they are getting it from some body.

Click to expand...

The "some body" is you.

It's the exact same deal that PublishAmerica is running. Overpriced books sold to their own authors. Have you ever seen a poetry.com book in a bookstore? Have you ever seen a poetry.com book in the home of someone who didn't have a poem in that very volume?

Sure, it's legal. Not terribly ethical, but legal.

Poetry.com

I, too, was one of the many 'scammed' by poetry.com. I've chosen to chalk it up to a learning experience. It's certainly one that I would never want to repeat. I finally was able to make them remove my poems from their website by editing them to reflect my opinions of their company. It didn't take them very long to decide that my content was no longer worthwhile, much to my delight. However, I am still receiving requests to publish my work from time to time. My response is always the same. My trash bin requires a feeding, you know, and has always had a taste for excremental solicitation.

One of the things that tipped me off to the scam was when I began receiving unsolicited emails from a company alleging no affiliation with ILP. However when I went to the poetry.com website, this company was definitely listed in affiliations, a section that they have since removed.

When it comes to the legality of their claims, it is true that for the most part they are sitting just outside of the infringement. However, when I researched the ISBN number that they had listed for a specific copy of their hardcover anthology, I discovered that it was listed for another book entirely unrelated to poetry.com. When I emailed the publisher of the book with the proper ISBN number, they stated that they would review the matter immediately and that they were in no way affiliated with Poetry.com.

I have since noticed that the ISBN numbers are no longer visible on their printed matter.

I truly hope that no one else feels the sting of poetry.com's bite. With a bit of experience, I have found that paying markets are a better source of feedback.

~Andrea

WTF? poetry dot com is stealing my work!

Out of curiosity I did a search of my name...And up popped something! I didn't submit to those jack asses, and I don't know how they got a copy of my work! They have something posted this year, one of my pieces that is being submitted and published elsewhere!

They have my actual name and a "copyright 2004" even though its copyright 1997. They mispelled the friggen title but everything else is intact.

Re: WTF? poetry dot com is using my work!

CRAP!

Apparently they're putting it on a full page by itself in their next friggen anthology! They have no right to do this! This is my work which is being published elsewhere! I have had no contact with them and received no payment!


Just sent a letter to my lawyer....

Re: WTF? poetry dot com is using my work!

Holy crap! They've stolen the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Frost, and others. they're printing the friggen Raven for chris sakes! How can they get away with this?!?! They're even printing the poems on shirts and mugs!

Do a search for your name on their site...they're stealing anything they can get their hands on!

Re: WTF? poetry dot com is using my work!

Well, Edgar Poe's works are public domain by now ... anyone can print 'em anywhere.

Re: WTF? poetry dot com is using my work!

But my works are not, and I'm sure there are others whose works are not. They have no right to be selling tote bags and the like with my work on it. I have sold first print rights to this piece already. I've not seen a contract or a dime for the work they are using, never once did I get so much as a letter from them. If I didn't do the search I would have never known. Further, I don't want to be associated with them. I don't want them using my name on their site to promote their vanity gig.

Poetry.com

I can understand that you'd want your work withdrawn from them. Have you tried actually contacting them, though?

Poe is in the public domain, but I did not think Frost was yet.

Re: WTF? poetry dot com is using my work!

It's copyright violation, for sure, in your case. Did you register your copyright? If so, statuatory and punitive damages can be yours. If not, you're limited to actual damages.

Chat with an IP lawyer.

Re: WTF? poetry dot com is using my work!

I haven't registered the copyrigt on this particular piece, it was to be registered next month when the chapbook came out under a compiliation. I didn't contact them because the only means is by phone or mail, I decided to contact a volunteer lawyer for the arts instead and see what they say first. Since they give me credit its not the copyright itself that's up for dispute, they aknowledge I wrote it they simply aren't paying me and don't have permission. Most people can edit their poems off the site but I can not because, as I said, I never had contact with them and therefore don't have an account. From what I've seen in searching their site, anyone can submit anything by anyone, and it gets printed. There seems to be no security to validate who is submitting what and that they have the lisence to do so.

Edit:
When I finally got in touch with their people and informed them of their error, they immediately took it off all their projects.

Re: WTF? poetry dot com is using my work!

You still need to discover whether it was in any copies that were already sold. If so, it ain't over because they owe you money.

Re: WTF? poetry dot com is using my work!

They didn't list it in any previous anthologies, just in an upcomming one. the only profit they may have turned is if a mug or something with the work on it sold. Chances are slim I'd wager that they turned a dime. Even if they did I have no idea how I'd find that out and I'm just glad they didn't argue with me and did what I requested as promptly as they did. If it shows up again there will be war but I'm cooled off now.

Their suing me!

I just received a letter from them saying that I am being sued for $48 on the book I ordered over a year ago. I canceled the order over a year ago and was refunded the $35 for deposit fee. I wrote them a note explaining the situation and told them to take my name off their mailing list. I will keep everyone posted as to what happens next.