Poetry Scams

"We want your poem." Those are the words all of us budding writers and poets long to hear. However, it’s not always that easy, even though it may seem so. Sometimes you may come upon an ad in a magazine, newspaper or online that says something such as, "Poetry Contest. Win $1,000,000!" And, in vanity or hopefulness, you think that maybe, just maybe, you have what it takes, so you send in one of your best poems.

Not too soon, you receive a response in the mail, saying that your poem was chosen as one of the best, and displayed on their website. Also, your masterpiece poem was selected to be published in an eye-catching anthology of poems that you have to pay nearly $100 to get and see. You are invited to go to a convention of fellow writers and celebrities, and you have to fork over about $500 or more for that as well. This is the way of the literary scam market, and I have to admit that I fell into its trap at one point in my writing "career."

The problem is, however, that you should be paid for your work, not you having to pay for it. Beware any of these literary scams, which go under several professional-sounding names: poetry.com, International Library of Poetry and several others. They do not look at or judge any literary credibility, and will "select" your poem no matter how good it may be. If you don’t believe, and care to risk getting junk mail for a while afterward, try submitting a poem as mundane as: "I am blue / boo hoo hoo / I cry for you" and see how wonderful your little verse will be made out to be.

Don’t be fooled by these false markets. They will not get your work seen or noticed by bigger markets. In fact, the legitimate ones frown upon such schemes. The only thing that keeps them going is from the money coming in from naïve writers. If they don’t get your money, they will cease to exist.