Poetry.com review: Fraud! 67

Hello,
I am a victim of this company also. And the company has since gone out of business in early 2009, and has been
purchased by some company named LuLu poetry.com.

Oh, by the way, a class action suit is the best revenge back at that ### Howard and his poem- stealing
friends!

I also fell for this scam... I was a poor college student going through financial issues back in 2005.. and was looking for scholarships and saw their site banner for 10, 000 dollar cash reward. "poetry.com" I had always had a passion for writing and at the time I was also in a very emotional venerable state. I thought what the heck... it couldn't hurt any thing. so I entered on a whim. hoping for just a portion to help with my college education. but I had been miss led... I got the award info in the mail... I was so excited that I did keep every thing. every piece of paper. my mom was so proud she bought a of copy of the book for me.. (she also had to claim bankruptcy that same year.) but $50 didnt seem that steep when I saw that my poem made it on the front page.. (but I guess that too was part of the scam). they later asked that I buy seats to a reading event that would place me in the real finals for the competition. $500 dollars a seat and no hotels or air fare paid in las vegas. when I explained that I didnt have that kind of money. they told me I could pay only 100 dollars and someone else could read the poem for me so that I could still have a chance to win... my mom couldnt help with paying and I cried at missing the chance for winning the 10, 000 dollars or even having the expensive trophies on my wall. (but now I am glad she didnt) they even contacted me a few months later about doing an audio recording of the poem to be publish... again for a nice fee

It had been like a godsend, it lifted me up and made me feel worth it for a time in my life when I needed it. but now I look back at it as a huge lie... tarnishing the memories that I once felt. not only that I am sad to say that I even now I have the book title in my professional resume. (guessss I should delete that.) : (it hurts me more that this has been going on for so long... it is 2010 and still they have been duping poor people out of their money. not only that but crushing the hopes and dreams of soooooooooooo many young artists and older ones as well. : (

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Found this link as well if any one is interested. has all the complains that I have seen in mass yet.

I submitted a poem on a whim, and now they won't quit sending me junk mail!

poetry.com went out of business a year ago they were bankrupt they were also a bunch of other so called poetry contests and entries together under different names.. now they are back in 2010...

I am Amanda Marie Crane a high school grad i wanted to make somehting of my poetry so May or june of 2010 i entered my poem "seasons" into famous poets society a scam done by a scam artist poetry.com by Ely and aurora i recieved a letter saying i was going to be published but in order to be published i had to pay money and i wanted a book so i ended up paying at least 30-40 dollars with my poem i thought people would enjoy it and say "who wrote this? shes not famous but shes good" then in june on the 2nd i recieved an award saying i was in honarable mention (though i didnt win the money good thing hugh) i then thought why not enter my poem again so i did and they sent me the same letter i decieded not to publish it because i didnt want to... instead i had called famous poets society asing about my book and they said it would be sent to me soon so i waited and waited well now its August
well im fed up waiting so i started to do some digging around i found so much about famous poets society scam and poetry.com scam it was on 20/20 i had no idea, well now i am so angry i called a man he said to me this
" Amanda you should know something... he told me about how they went bankrupt and so on a year ago, and when they say they are going to publsih you companies like this who make you pay to be published, but not all companies have a system they wait and wait until they recieve enought money to make the books they need and then they put your poem on page one and then other poems behind it making a book well not all books are the same no one is going to read your poem only you... and the book doesnt get sold you can buy it off of them but no one is going to read your poem they bought it from you and published it with your name but they arent going to put it in other books..."
i am sincerly pissed and i plan to do something about it
- Amanda Marie Crane

Its a big disappointment knowing Howard Ely made profit on our poems. I've been sending my poems to Mr. Ely since 1980's. Like other poets I also received a newsletter with an invitation to appear at the Las Vegas Poetry Convention to receive my award. Fortunately, I was never able to appear because of my financial status. I still hold letters from their company. I also had dreams of one day having my poems published. I would like to have all my poems ever published to this company returned back to me. - GITANA, from Florida

hello

i just read about this and believe it or not i was a vitim as well i lost count on how many of MY poems i put up there and now they are all gone! i would love to have all MY poems returned to me they are things i have writen and that i my self have wrote them! it is a major disapointment my mother even bought a book of his "the touch of tomorrow" he made my poem apear on the very first page in the book! im sorry it happened to so many people! i would just love to have all my poems back from that "company" - Amanda, from Maryland

Hi:
I am a victim too, I sent two of my best poems in 2001. Anyways I thought I am the only person who was stolen $32.00 US. I will not give up, I will be refunded whatever the cost may cost me. Believe if I meet this person Mr. Howard Ely, you know what will happen to him. Unfortunately many people don't feel safe. Such terrorists are protected by somebody. I am profoudly just terrorized by this, and I couldn't talk util I discovered this forum. Where's FBI and where 's CIA to protect citizens against these frauds. Mr Howrd Ely should go to jail instead of enjoying his life in luxurious hotels.
The Lost Poet

my name is catherine j. taylor i want to know what going on with my poem LOVEeeee call me [protected] between myself catherine j. tayloe and howars ely

Me too, I ve been ###d, sorry, by this guy, Howrd Ely, he robbed two of my peoms and my money. Come on ###, can FBI do something catch these terrorists, come on we are terrorizedddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd, ###!

well i guess thats where all my poems went and why i cant find that website anymore [censored] im in lets take this ### down

This guy is a ###. Nobody should have been a victim of such a terrible scam. And I'm sad to say I have been, too. I found out Late April, early May of 2010 that this was all a scam. Not only did he steal money from me, but he stole my thoughts. That is the most intimate of crimes a person can commit against another person. I will never be able to forgive Howard Ely for what he has done to me and to everybody who he turned into a victim.

I too was a victim of this scam & -hole ! What a total betrayal...when poetry is so personal & close to the heart of the person who is sharing a part of their own soul ! Shame on you ...Howard...you "SHMUK" ! KARMA will play a factor in your life...it always does :) Pissed In Canada ...

I also am a victim in this scam...i never realized it was a scam till i remembered putting my poem on that sight, i wanted to show my fiance it and when i got to the site i had to re sign up, i did not remember my way old email and stuff so i did so i could see if it was still there, i tried looking under the title of my poem called a lovers correl. it was no where to be found i was pissed. it was my most heart felt poem i ever did. i got a editors choice award presented to me on paper from Howard Ely in June of 2005. for outstanding achievement in poetry presented by poetry.com and the international library of poetry. this guy totally needs to be stopped and punished for the souls he has taken in poetry. i am so glad i NEVER bought A PLAQUE OR A BOOK. but still it hurts me to now just find out he is a scamer. i have been fooled.

Wow I've been trying to login to my poetry.com account and all that comes up is this stuff about lawsuits because they took our poems! I've used that site since I can remember to publish my poems. Is there anyway to get them back at all? What do I do? Smh...

hi my name is lorie and i guess i too like everyone has had their dreams crushed. i for the longest time wanted to be a known poet for myself my family and friends. always wanted to leave something for my miracle kids they told me i would never have. but i did! and now i find this out what am i to do with what i already wrote and sent tho poetry.com and the books i paid for but made no money!? how can someone do this to our dreams? karma is a b**ch.

I think you will find that Howard Ely is an alias. My wife too was scammed by them. However, we chose to look at it as she wrote something good. Yes, you paying to have stuff published is a scam. But do not let them take your dreams away. If you stop just because of this, they have won.

hi, i am a victim too, i sent 32 $ dollars and i never got anything, i hope FBI can do soemthing about it, lest all meet victims of Howard ely and get our rights, lets meet through the name HowardElyvictims in one word on facebook, thank you

I am a victim as well. Howard Ely promise to publish my poem(s) in an Anthology, but never got a copy of it nor any winnings. Howard Ely wanted me to buy my own poetry...
can you believe that? A-hole.

Sorry about your dilemma, I paid $231.00 in October 2003 for 10 copies of the 'book' and got nothing. Just found my poem in the 'historical' section of the 'new' poetry.com.

I am a victim too...entered a contest and was told my poem was getting published in a book, but I had to pay for a copy of the book...

Hi there, I too was taken...back in 2000! I recently moved and found the old papers informing me (my then 13 year old son) that his poem would be entered into the hardbound book. Sent Around $71.00...never received anything...was looking online for poem TODAY, 2016, cant find it. Was astonished to see all the comments this many years after...how sad!

I won editors choice award in August 2002. I was 16 yrs old at the time. I recieved the award for my poem "I believe'' and Ive been trying to look for it and it seems I can't no longer find it. Was this a scam to make you believe something that wasn't?

I am sooooo late and I always wondered about this my happened in 2003 and my pien was published and I received a EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD and Invite to a convention in Hollywood stating I too was in the top 10 semi finalists. What did you all do?

So what are we going to do? I want my poems back, at the very least! Is there a lawsuit to be brought? If anybody has any ideas, please email me-- ImAnEpilepticFish@gmail.com

~Melissa

I too sent money to Howard "Sleeze-Lie" from approx [protected] for the Vanity anthologies. Being Canadian, the easiest way to do this was by purchasing an American money order at the post office. The first 3 poems I "published" showed up, but the 4th never did.

At least the exchange rate was in my favour.

I recently talked to a friend and she encourages me to write more poetry. I had forgotten that I had submitted a poem that long ago and was promised to be published until I found the letter in a drawer that I was cleaning out. Very disappointed that I was scammed according to these posts. Will be on the watch list to see how this all goes down... Cheers

I too am a victim from 20+ years ago. My poem was published and then they wanted me to buy the book! It is not right what poetry.com is doing. I was young at the time and didn't know any better. I only remembered all of this when my daughter came to me about wanting to put her stories on the app called Wattpad. Please be careful future writers and help those who don't know any better. I sure wish I had someone guiding me back in the day.

Wow, I am also a victim of this. I not only bought 2 books with different titles; I also bought the CD that included the poems. So, is there any way we are going to get our credit that is due to us for the submission of our poems?

I have letters from the years 1999, 2000, another in 2000 and 2006. that my poems were chosen and would be published. I remember all those years ago wondering if my mail/ letters / anything was lost in the mail. I would like to see my work somewhere in print and get my $ as everyone else. i’ve held on to these and came across them just today and sadly it was all a scam I beginning to see. I will still hold on to these papers for proof if anything becomes of it. sadly and doubtful but one can always hope.

KD
This has been going on for so long now, I first entered the contest in 1999, I saw it the my post newspaper smh I can’t even find my poems.