Every year, thousands of aspiring writers are fleeced out of their hard-earned money by poetry scams.
The perpetrators of the poetry scam rake in millions of dollars each year by promising fame and fortune to unsuspecting victims. No one knows for sure exactly how much money is involved, but estimates put the figure somewhere between $6 and $10 million every year.
How The Poetry Scam Works
You’ve seen the advertisements for various “poetry contests” hosted by organizations with impressive names that certainly sound legitimate (the names keep changing and there are far too many to list here). You’ll find them in newspapers and magazines, in your mailbox, and even in your email.
The poetry scam ads offer large cash prizes and promises of publication. There’s no entry fee. All you have to do is submit your poem for consideration by a panel of experts.
A few weeks later you receive a letter in the mail congratulating you for achieving “semi-finalist” status. You glow with pride as you say to yourself, “Wow! I must be a better poet than I thought!”
And that’s not all. The letter goes on to say that your poem has been selected to be published in a special anthology of the very best poems submitted. You feel like you’re going to burst with excitement.
And this is where the poetry contest scam really kicks in…
It turns out you can order your very own copy of the anthology for just $49.95 plus shipping. For an extra $19.95 they’ll publish your biography alongside your poem. You can also buy a copy of your poem mounted on a plaque or recorded on cassette by a professional reader.
This may not seem like a scam at all, until you realize the following:
1. Everyone who submits a poem to the contest becomes a semi-finalist and receives the same exact letter you did. It’s a form letter designed to make you think your poem is special so you’ll hand over cash for their merchandise.
On an episode of 20/20, an entire class of 3rd graders submitted poems to a popular poetry contest. Every single one of them received the same letter.
2. Your poem won’t be published unless you purchase a copy of the anthology. It will simply be put on a waiting list indefinitely. But don’t worry, there are plenty of other poets out there willing to pay to be included (enough to fill dozens of anthologies each year).
3. Since when do you have to pay a publisher to include your poem in a book? If you’ve ever dealt with a reputable publishing house you know that they must pay you in the form of royalties in order to publish your work.
4. Those who have ordered the anthology report that the book is of questionable quality. Rather than a high-end edition you’d be proud to display, the book seems as though it was slapped together with no regard to formatting or quality. To minimize printing costs, the poems are printed in the smallest possible font to ensure up to a dozen can be squeezed onto each page.
And the grabs for money never end. You’ll be offered a membership in “exclusive” organizations for poets. You may even be told that you’ve been nominated for the “Poet of the Year” award. Of course there’s a hefty fee if you want to attend the award ceremony.
The more books, cassettes, and other garbage you buy the more money is raked in by the scammers.
What’s the Solution to Poetry Scams?
Use caution and common sense. There are legitimate writing and poetry contests out there. But you should do some research before entering one. Search the internet to see what people are saying about it. Look for complaints or other tips that the contest is a scam.
Remember that some legitimate contests do charge an entrance fee to cover administrative costs as well as the expense of the financial prizes. But you should not have to pay to be published, and you should not be constantly be pressured to buy something.
