A Step in the Write
Direction
April 29,
2013
Update:
A
good last week! My husband had his defibrillator replaced on Monday and, praise
the Lord, they could use the old wires. The procedure took about 90 minutes and
he was able to come home 3 hours later….My sister’s surgery on Tuesday also went
well and she came home on Saturday…An editor I submitted 3 gift books to wrote
and said she liked 2 of them and would present them to the Publication Board.
Catch: If they accepted them, I’d have to double them in
size.
Had
a nice time Saturday giving my “Freedom of Letting Go” talk to a group of
Lutheran women. (If you need someone for a luncheon/retreat/banquet, etc., keep
me in mind. A list of talks is included on my Web site.).
We
said good-bye to our youth minister and wife this morning in a tearful service.
They’ll be leaving, with their 3-year-old boy, for 2½ years in Ecuador Oklahoma
Hope
to get to the father/grandfather anthology this week to make my selection.
Thanks to all of you for your patience! (Note: It hit 100 degrees here
yesterday!!)
Thought for
Today:
Unless you try to do something
beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow (Ronald E.
Osborn).
Laugh for
Today:
Prayers from
Children
- Dear
God, please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing
good in there now. - Amanda
- Dear
God, thank you for the baby brother but what I asked for was a puppy. I never
asked for anything before. You can look it up. - Joyce
- Dear
Mr. God, I wish you would not make it so easy for people to come apart. I had to
have 3 stitches and a shot. - Janet
- God,
I read the Bible. What does beget mean? Nobody will tell me. - Love, Alison
- Dear
God, is it true my father won't get in Heaven if he uses his golf words in the
house? - Anita
- Dear
God, I bet it's very hard for you to love everybody in the whole world. There
are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. -
- Dear
God, my grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do
you go? - Love, Dennis
- Dear
God, maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they each had
their own rooms. It works out okay with me and my brother. - Larry
- Dear
God, I didn't think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on
Tuesday night. That was really cool. - Thomas
Writer’s
Hints:
The following is
long, but it is worth reading. I don’t have the source; someone mailed it to me,
but I have several friends who were taken in by these
publishers.
Poetry
Scam Alert: A Little-Known Scam about Bogus Poetry
Contests
<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>
Poetry scam contests rake in millions of dollars every year. They do so by promising fame and fortune and then charging 'contest winners' a fee to see their work in print. What is worse, everybody is a winner. In this issue, we address how these poetry scams operate, how you can recognize a scam, and what you can do to stop them….
How poetry scam contests work: The perpetrators of these common poetry scams often seem legitimate. You can find their advertisements in popular magazines and writing magazines. You will find them posted on websites. Additionally, you can find contest announcements posted in the major newspapers all across the country. We've even received these poetry scam contest announcements in our mailbox. Most recently, millions have received poetry scam emails.
The advertisements or poetry scam contest announcements offer large financial rewards and promises of publication. They are even known to offer contestants a freebie if they enter a poem. Many have minor requirements, including a maximum poem length of 20 lines. Additionally, unlike some contests, there is often no fee to enter. Contestants simply create their prose and drop it in the mail.
<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>
Poetry scam contests rake in millions of dollars every year. They do so by promising fame and fortune and then charging 'contest winners' a fee to see their work in print. What is worse, everybody is a winner. In this issue, we address how these poetry scams operate, how you can recognize a scam, and what you can do to stop them….
How poetry scam contests work: The perpetrators of these common poetry scams often seem legitimate. You can find their advertisements in popular magazines and writing magazines. You will find them posted on websites. Additionally, you can find contest announcements posted in the major newspapers all across the country. We've even received these poetry scam contest announcements in our mailbox. Most recently, millions have received poetry scam emails.
The advertisements or poetry scam contest announcements offer large financial rewards and promises of publication. They are even known to offer contestants a freebie if they enter a poem. Many have minor requirements, including a maximum poem length of 20 lines. Additionally, unlike some contests, there is often no fee to enter. Contestants simply create their prose and drop it in the mail.
Now
comes the "good" news, and the meat of the poetry scam: "Congratulations! You've
become a semi-finalist," your letter says. Pride fills your soul. The letter
goes on. "We wish to publish your poem in an anthology." You're going to be
published! Now your heart is pounding with excitement. Until you read this next
line..."To have a copy of this anthology, please send $49.95 plus $4.95 shipping
and handling. For an additional $20 we can add your biography to your
poem."
The poetry scam list of offerings continues. You can have your poem mounted on a plaque. You can purchase cassette tapes where a professional reader has recorded your poem. You can even join an association of poets—for a fee. The poetry scam may even go so far as to state that you have been nominated for the 'Poet of the Year'. With this nomination, you are invited to attend an award ceremony for the price of $475 plus travel expenses.
And this is how the scammers make their money. Each contestant receives the same 'semi-finalist' letter. As unsuspecting winners proudly purchase their book of poetry, the cassettes, their plaque, and more, the scammers rake in the money. In fact, some experts estimate that these poetry scam companies make almost 10 million dollars a year!
What you can do: Publishing a written work or poem is a goal that many aspire to. Don't let poetry scams squash your dreams. If you aspire to see your poetry published, contribute your poems to legitimate magazines and literary publications. Once you have a collection of published poems, you can put together your own book and submit it to editors for publication.
Legitimate writing and poetry contests are both available and plentiful. If you decide to participate in poetry contests, investigate the organization before you enter. These poetry scam companies operate under a variety of legitimate sounding names. Research each and every organization before you enter a contest.
Search the Internet for warnings about the company holding the contest. Visit our Scambusters.org site to search our articles (although we don't name specific organizations or people as scams, we focus on education so our subscribers understand what kinds of scams to watch out for). Lastly, know that there is no reason that a contest should ask you for money for anything after you have entered.
Many legitimate contests do request a small entrance fee to cover administration and financial prizes; however they NEVER request a fee to publish or purchase anything upon winning the contest. Legitimate contests willingly post their guidelines, prizes, judges and contest rules.
If you have been a victim of a poetry scam, you can report it to the:
The poetry scam list of offerings continues. You can have your poem mounted on a plaque. You can purchase cassette tapes where a professional reader has recorded your poem. You can even join an association of poets—for a fee. The poetry scam may even go so far as to state that you have been nominated for the 'Poet of the Year'. With this nomination, you are invited to attend an award ceremony for the price of $475 plus travel expenses.
And this is how the scammers make their money. Each contestant receives the same 'semi-finalist' letter. As unsuspecting winners proudly purchase their book of poetry, the cassettes, their plaque, and more, the scammers rake in the money. In fact, some experts estimate that these poetry scam companies make almost 10 million dollars a year!
What you can do: Publishing a written work or poem is a goal that many aspire to. Don't let poetry scams squash your dreams. If you aspire to see your poetry published, contribute your poems to legitimate magazines and literary publications. Once you have a collection of published poems, you can put together your own book and submit it to editors for publication.
Legitimate writing and poetry contests are both available and plentiful. If you decide to participate in poetry contests, investigate the organization before you enter. These poetry scam companies operate under a variety of legitimate sounding names. Research each and every organization before you enter a contest.
Search the Internet for warnings about the company holding the contest. Visit our Scambusters.org site to search our articles (although we don't name specific organizations or people as scams, we focus on education so our subscribers understand what kinds of scams to watch out for). Lastly, know that there is no reason that a contest should ask you for money for anything after you have entered.
Many legitimate contests do request a small entrance fee to cover administration and financial prizes; however they NEVER request a fee to publish or purchase anything upon winning the contest. Legitimate contests willingly post their guidelines, prizes, judges and contest rules.
If you have been a victim of a poetry scam, you can report it to the:
Federal Trade Commission at: https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup
* * *
Enjoy this next week spreading
the
gospel through the printed
page!
Donna Clark
Goodrich
http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com
"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"
"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"
