[robbiez666]

I recently had a poem I submitted get to the semi-final stage and thus going to be published in a large book full of poetry. Is it just a big con to sell their books or actual achievement?

[Zsinj16]

Robbie, I did the exact same thing you did and it's sort of a big con. I submitted a Star Wars-based poem to poetry.com and they said that it was going to be put in that big book, but they made me buy the whole big book of poetry instead of sending just my published copy of my poem to me!! And over half the poems that are written in that big book are from really amateur poets and are not worth reading! I wouldn't buy it, if I were you, it's just a big waste of money!!

[enazwo]

Had the same thing happen to me.
Except they also went was far as to send me a thing saying they were going to have my poem recorded on a CD by a talented (unknown name to me) narrator.
I never bought either the book or the CD but I learned from a friend that they did indeed publish and record it though.
So it is a bit of scam.

[Lawson]

Are there even any winners for the $1,000 prize?

[robbiez666]

well i had a thing through with no pressuere to but said book but.....I can see why they would incourage people to buy it. (well who else will?) but its more a thing thats in my head saying are t5hey publishing everything in order to sell books?

[nicba]

Ahh, I'm sorry to say so, but these guys seems to be a big scam. I've never submitted anything to them (I couldn't write a poem to save my life!), but I've heard of a couple of others having had experiences with them.

Try to look on the SFWA site, under 'Writer Beware' and 'Vanity Anthologies,' there's some stuff about Poetry.com there. There's also some link to more articles. Try for example THIS ONE (http://www.writtenbyme.com/articleview.php?id=42237). It's written by a journalist desperately trying to get a rejection slip from Poetry.com...and failing.

(the article is very funny, with examples of truly awful poems geting the same praise and inclusion in that big book of poetry)

[garywassner]

It is a scam. They publish poems that you download to them on their website without even proofreading them. Even when the grammatical mistakes are glaring! One of my kids, who happens to be a poet, published one with them once. The book they sent was very nice, and I guess that for a 16 year old, it is a treat to see your name in an anthology of poetry. But, it really means very little. It is unfortunate that the people who create these sites have so little integrity. They take advantage of kids, and that is most despicable.

[robbiez666]

Thanks for that. I spent my 47 pence to send the proof back back airmail with buy no book option.....

Let them waste their time printing my poem.

[enazwo]

The thing that chaffes my hiney the most about this Poetry.com is they tried to take advantage of a swashbuckling poetry spewing drunken idiot, who fell for it hook, line, and sinker, but was just too freaking broke ot buy the lovely book or the delightful CD.
Darn those Poetry.com guys

[Erebus]

I guess the rule here is that if it seems to good to be true, then it probably is! I too hate these types of scammers, but it seems that what they do is legal..apparently! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif