Post by Teskas on Oct 31, 2007 17:24:27 GMT -5
This thread is being created, among other things, to draw your attention to techniques being used, mainly on the Internet, which mislead aspiring writers. I am starting it here because of something which recently happened to a relative of mine.
Last spring, he joined an online poetry circle. He contributed several poems and was able to meet and hang out with other amateur poets. He told me about the circle, and I checked out the site. It seemed a serious site for amateurs, and appeared to pay its way through the ads which spattered the margins of its web pages. It looked legitimate to me, and I congratulated him on getting involved in something creative and interesting.
Early last week he sent me an e-mail. One of his poems had been selected for an editor's award, and was going to be published. My relative was thrilled. He never dreamed one of his poems would go to print.
The publisher of this anthology sent him an e-mail, and asked would he care to buy a copy of this beautifully bound anthology of poetry in which his poem would appear? It would cost only $45.
I don't think this relative of mine has quite caught on to the fact that he has been set up by the individuals that run this site. What they are doing may be legal, but is unpleasantly disingenuous.
I am sorry for him because his teenage son died as the result of a car accident. His poem is about his reaction at the hospital bed when his son eventually dies. The poem was part of a grieving process for my relative, and what should have been a help to healing has been hi-jacked by some clever entrepreneurs.
We know (or at least we should know) that our value as persons is independent of what we write. We know we are supported here, on a site like this, but it is a special moment when a publisher from the outside world gives us the nod. When we are legitimately published, we have an objective confirmation that what we've created is valued by other people who may have no contact with us in any other way. It's only human to enjoy the tremendous compliment which comes with the offer of publication.
So, I am opening this thread. We should all be aware, especially as aspiring writers, that we are vulnerable to this kind of thing. Let's be careful out there.
Last spring, he joined an online poetry circle. He contributed several poems and was able to meet and hang out with other amateur poets. He told me about the circle, and I checked out the site. It seemed a serious site for amateurs, and appeared to pay its way through the ads which spattered the margins of its web pages. It looked legitimate to me, and I congratulated him on getting involved in something creative and interesting.
Early last week he sent me an e-mail. One of his poems had been selected for an editor's award, and was going to be published. My relative was thrilled. He never dreamed one of his poems would go to print.
The publisher of this anthology sent him an e-mail, and asked would he care to buy a copy of this beautifully bound anthology of poetry in which his poem would appear? It would cost only $45.
I don't think this relative of mine has quite caught on to the fact that he has been set up by the individuals that run this site. What they are doing may be legal, but is unpleasantly disingenuous.
I am sorry for him because his teenage son died as the result of a car accident. His poem is about his reaction at the hospital bed when his son eventually dies. The poem was part of a grieving process for my relative, and what should have been a help to healing has been hi-jacked by some clever entrepreneurs.
We know (or at least we should know) that our value as persons is independent of what we write. We know we are supported here, on a site like this, but it is a special moment when a publisher from the outside world gives us the nod. When we are legitimately published, we have an objective confirmation that what we've created is valued by other people who may have no contact with us in any other way. It's only human to enjoy the tremendous compliment which comes with the offer of publication.
So, I am opening this thread. We should all be aware, especially as aspiring writers, that we are vulnerable to this kind of thing. Let's be careful out there.
