Famous Poets Society

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The Famous Poets Society is an poetry organization that offers a free poetry contest, a convention contest and several types of publishing opportunities, offered mostly to amateur grassroots poets. Anyone, whether published or not, is able to enter and nothing is ever required to purchase for the free contest. This is not true, however, for their convention contest, which does require attendance for a fee.

1 Approach
2 Complaints
3 References
4 Notes

[edit] Approach

A prospective poet, wishing to get his work published, visits the Famous Poets Society website which displays the promise of a $25,000 prize for entering their free contest. If the submission is accepted in the contest then the poet will receive an acknowledgment letter and be offered the chance to be published in an anthology.

"Five exciting publishing options" are offered:

Have a special dedication printed with poem, $5.00.
Include a photograph of poet or subject of poem, $10.00.
Have poem illustrated to "highlight its artistry", $10.00.
Have a biography included to share facts about the poet, $10.00.
Include additional poems, $10.00 each, plus a nominal fee for additional typesetting, $1.00 per line over 21. And a small fee for postage and handling, $5.00.

To see their work published, writers must buy the anthology for $29.95. With this also they receive a free CD recording of the book with their poem.

[edit] Complaints

Some who order the book report never having received it. Poets are invited to an annual convention, at which they can win up to $75,000. Entertainment and possible scholarships are also promised. A fee of $495 is charged to attend, in addition to paying one's own travel, lodging, and meals. The Boston Phoenix published an article on poetry contest scams like the Famous Poets Society, in which they spoke with Matt Rohrer:

Matt Rohrer, publicity and events director for the Academy of American Poets, is well aware of the damage done by disreputable poetry competitions. 'I get calls every day from people who have been scammed like this,' he says. One such caller was the father of a Mississippi girl who had been named a Famous Poets finalist. 'The girl had been invited to a ceremony in Vegas,' Rohrer says. 'The family was going to take out a loan on their trailer because they had been led to believe their 14-year-old daughter was a genius.'^[1]

The above issue is with another poetry organization, International Society of Poets (poetry.com), as they hold their conventions in Las Vegas and Famous Poets never has.

According to a report from the Better Business Bureau, the Famous Poets Society has been in business since 1994 and since this time the report states that there have been 48 complaints filed against the company, all of which have been resolved^[2]. The report does state this number is for the past 36 months but this is rather misleading as the number actually reflects the entire reporting history of the BBB. As it states there were only 4 in the past year. This would mean 32 came in the previous 2 years which is not the case. Famous Poets receives very few complaints as the 4 in the past year contest to.