Poetry.com

[Jill]

*Waving Hello to everyone on BAS*

Has anyone here ever submitted poems to poetry.com.I have guilty as charged.Yes it was accepted and copyrighted.Entered in alleged contest.Has anyone ever Won?

Something about that site smells fishy,lol &Also my Spidey senses tell it is a fraud.*SMILE* LOL

My Mc Afee (Virus protection)does not like it at all

This message shows whenever, I visit site which is now rarely.

poetry.com
Red Verdict Image

Feedback from credible users suggests this site may not be what it claims to be.

Scary within itself.

If anyone has submitted poetry,and experience,etc., or has information on poetry.com can you Please share ?

*THANK YOU* To all who read PEACE 1 LOVE &Blessings Jill

[Jill]

OH boy do I know that. I am HUGE Fan of Nikki Giovanni .

I write poetry for the LOVE of it to me it is Poetic therapy .I write just as I breath.It flows from within my Heart & Soul.I enjoy sharing,I also Moderate several poetry groups encouraging,sharing,and reading FABULOUS poetry from fellow poets/poetesses.

I am NOT in it for the money or anything else other than above.

PEACE,1LOVE & BLESSINGS Jill

[Victoria Pearson]

Hello, yes I have entered a contest by the name of Poetry.com. the interesting thing is, they do have an anthology periodically, but in order to get one you must buy it. I believe that all poems that are entered are in the anthology, and all stages of ability are included.

I purchased the book one two occasions at a cost of $49.00, a discount is given, as others pay $59.00. I personally believe it is not worth entering, but that is just my opinion.

I never did find out who won any of the contests, and there must have been at least a thousand poems in the anthology.

I am careful when money for reading, and sales of merchandise is a requirement for entrance in any contest. I recieve a monthly newsletter that gives the name of legitimate contests with many that cost nothing to enter.

There are many legitimate contests out there.
Best of luck...

[Jill]

*THANK YOU* & AMEN:)

[Marc Lacy]

Man...I wish I would have seen this earlier. I would not advise my worst enemy to submit ANYTHING to poetry.com . That is one of the biggest racquets on the net. They make everyone a winner, then want to charge them out the ying yang for prizes or opportunities to appear in and purchase anthologies. Please stay away from them...Marc

[Jill]

*Thank You* for your input Marc&I AGREE:)

[Sharon Moore Stenhouse (aka) a'Kihoro]

Message to All...

Be forewarned, Poetry.com is what is known as a "Vanity Publisher" --Watermark Press (aka) circapress.com out of Owings Mills, Maryland to be exact. A vanity publisher is an organization all about making money. They do not publish in the true realm of publishers. At no time is there an opportunity for authors to earn money or royalties for their work. Instead, they offer what appears to be an opportunity for fledgling poets (some under the guise of professionals) to promote themselves as published. I was introduced to this site by someone I greatly respect, and regretfully, I was mislead.

A vanity publisher's total mission is to sell inferior quality publications to the very people who have submitted the content. They do not mass market what they print. This is the mission of this site. Upon submitting my already published signature poem, I was flooded with emails and snail mail telling me that my poem won an award. Further, and I might add that I should have checked them out, I willing sent in the fee to have a short bio added to my poem in a book titled "Immortal Verses" along with a deposit to purchase two copies for myself.

Well folks, as I discovered after an extensive web search and checking with the Better Business Bureau, that book doesn't exist. There have been many, many complaints about the company -the principal Jim Reed and Mr. Howard Ely, the managing editor. Some of those complaints have gone unresolved. Other searches reveal that this company has been scamming people for a number of years.

I did receive two books in the mail titled "Collected Whispers," which is not what I ordered. The first thing I noticed in this 'publication' is there was no ISBN number...anywhere. Yes, there is my bio and a horribly punctuated version of my copyrighted poem -in fact it is the first entry in this book. I was(am) horrified. As a published author I feel that my work has been egregiously misrepresented.

Another point of contention is the fact that the web site has created an enormous degree of SPAM in my email box. Every effort I have made to report the abuse and block the messages just seems to create even more of these unwanted emails.

As a member of the Black Author Showcase community I urge my fellow members and friends to post as many entries in blogs and forums about Poetry.com in an effort to shut them down. This is an international issue.

Please, please, please pass this information on, and by all means flood the Better Business Bureau and the World Wide Web Consortium with your complaints.

Here is also info that might help in flooding the company with complaints: Jim Reed, Manager - [phone] ext. 162 or [e-mail] -also, Watermark Press, 3600 Crondall Ln Ste 100, Owings Mills, MD 21117-2233, Fax:[phone], Website: www.poetry.com and www.picture.com. Original Business Start Date: January 1983

LET'S HELP STOP THIS MADDNESS!

[Jill]

*THANK YOU* THANK YOU* THANK YOU* Sharon Bless your PRECIOUS Kind *HEART*The information you provided is invaluable PRICELESS!!!Did I say *THANK YOU* I can NOT quite Thank You enough:)& YES I will contact the BBB:)

*Wishing you MUCH continued success PEACE LOVE & BLESSINGS Jill*

[Debra Declouet]

I entered and "won" a so called Editor's Choice Award, they sent my book (yes, I paid for it) and my poem was the first printed in the book. They have since, harassed me to send more poetry and recently asked that I fly to receive a Poet's Award in Vegas (I think!) I don't take them seriously anymore.

At first I was flattered and after that I just wanted them to LEAVE ME ALONE! Email after aggravating email about me commemorating my poem in different styles; joining the international library of poets, inducting others into their contest as an "Ambassador of Poetry", etc. The last thing they sent me was an invitation to send another poem that is guaranteed acceptance into the "Celebrated Poets of 2007" book that will be in print soon.

They may have taken me once; but, never again.

Poets Be-Ware!

Debra

[Jill]

*Thank You* Very much for all the valuable insight and information,Debra:)

*Wishing You all the BEST*

PEACE, LOVE,&BLESSINGS Jill

[Chikmama]

Yes.. I've entered and won... but, I think everyone does...lol. They said they were going to put a poem in a book andI was invited to some kind of conference. They asked for money for this conference but I didn't send it.... thank God...lol. Be careful is all I can say!

[Jill]

LOL Yes indeed &AMEN:)*Thank You* for your input and information.

PEACE,LOVE,&BLESSINGS Jill

[Libby]

i'm sad to find out about this ;
i truly wish i had seen this forum BEFOREHAND .
i was both fishy , yet excited .. as any young girl would , when attempting to have her dreams come true you know ?
not even a month ago did i send my money in for one copy ..
it's a shame but i am glad we can bring attention to others , these scammers' intentions !
it's truly ridiculous . thanks everyone for the input and thanks JILL for the forum !!