July 2003

(if you drop in here straight, you need to read the previous parts first to get the whole picture. Start reading with Poetry scam(s), Part I.)

First of all: another clear example on how poetry.com publishes everything they lay their hands on.
I spoke earlier about a poem that I submitted under the name of Ape Staartje. Obviously at that point it wasn't good enough to compete in the contest, because it miraculously disappeared from the poetry.com website several times after I put it there. But when I put that same poem under my award-winning alias Pietje Puk everything changed. If you now check the name on poetry.com, and you click the name "Whooopsie!", you will get one of my treasures smiling at you. And if you click on that little icon in the left lower part of your screen, the one with the little book, you will find that the poem is featured in the next anthology. I am absolutely thrilled! I am so happy that my poem is judged of unique vision and special poetic talent. And therefore I cannot possibly be without posting it here!
Enjoy my special baby, called "Whooopsie!":

      Eeenie-meenie-minie-mo!
      We're skemming ILP evenso!
      (I am not English, so I don't much know,
      every here and there you might find a typo)
      Baaij sumbitting stoopid poetrie
      wii proof det they doont even see.

      -proit- Whooopsie!
      Thet wind you didn't see komming, did you?
      Doesn't metter,
      notting you do is true!
      Maybe with this wind
      we can blow ILP and NHouse down!

And just recently I found out that someone else has used Pietje Puk as a name there, too. And there's a poem posted with the name "Boee". It's not me, and it's not my poem, but that also is a very good example of how thoroughly poetry.com selects their poetry. It is not yet scheduled for publication, but I wouldn't be surprised if it would be featured in the next anthology on short notice.
Credit for this poem "Boee" goes to the other Pietje Puk who posted it :o)

Then... Something else... Awhile ago I received an e-mail from a woman by the name of Megan Gallagher, who was supposedly working for a company named XLibris.
She read my poetry and she was wondering if I was interested in having it published.
I checked XLibris's website and found out that they are a printing-on-demand company that helps writers publish their books on their own costs. Doesn't sound too illegal, and it isn't. A lot of poets and writers have become famous by publishing their work at their own expense with help of companies like this XLibris.
At first I didn't react to the e-mail, but some two weeks after that first e-mail I received another one from her, telling me that I hadn't replied to the first one and that she was wondering if I hadn't got it or if I wasn't interested or something like that. And what I found a bit strange was that she was talking about "my books" and "my next book" a couple of times.
I'm not all that anxious to get involved with these kind of companies, but I was still curious about it. So I replied to her e-mail, to the address that she sent it from. I asked her how she got my e-mailaddress, since I hadn't been in contact with her before. I also tried to lure her into making a very big mistake and asked her which of my books she had read before, since she was refering to "my books" and "my next book" a couple of times. It would be a good trick question, because I haven't published any books.
But it was an in vain effort. I didn't get any reaction. Two weeks later I sent the same mail again, asking why I hadn't got any reply. I didn't get a reply to that one either. Then I went to XLibris's website and sent them an e-mail from there through the contact info on the website. I did that twice, also without any response.
So that's what I think makes the whole company a bit suspicious. If they'd have any respect in their guts they could've at least sent an e-mail back, but it seems as if you'd only get a reaction if you are going to supply them with some income.
NOT nice!
I'm going to try something else still and I'll let you know about it at a later stage...

I added to the list of dubious companies this mysterious XLibris. They might not be a scam as if they would try to rip you off, but they definately are trying to get you on their debitor's list. So if you get a mail from them, please do be careful. Click here for the list (it's a little pop-up window).

TO BE CONTINUED!
Continue with Poetry scam(s), Part XIV.