You wish. You're not reading what that really says. You need glasses, Mr. or Ms. Juan A. Beah poet, and here's a few places to get some:
Google It
Most of the time, that's all it takes to spot a scam contest or anthology, because so many of you want to pretend you've been published and you're willing to pay for it...
And when the rush wears off, the electric bill is due, and you're out a few hundred (or thousand), you complain about it online.
- Go to Google
- type in the name of the contest
- type in a comma
- type the word scam
- read the articles at the links pulled up
Research Your Field
Seriously. Scamming wannabe poets is big business and it's your job to at least be a little bit knowledgable about the field you're trying to break into.
- Speculations: Caveat Scrivener***
- Getting The Scoop On Poetry Scams
- Literary Contest Caution
- How To Sniff Out Literary Scams
- SFF.Publishing.Scams
How Real Poets Get Published: Advice On How To Sell Poetry
Basic Common Sense About Publishing
- If it's good enough to win a contest or be part of an anthology, you will be able to publish it with a legitimate publisher who will pay you money for it.
- A list of vanity publication credits add negatively (it's the opposite of a publication credit - you're going into debt reputation-wise, too!) to your credibility as a writer or poet.
- Amazon is a quick way to check the legitimacy of an Anthology - if it's not available there, pass. If it is, research further.
Now that you've taken a whole hour or two to research, you'll clearly see that the letter really says:
"Congratulations! Your poem You has have been selected for our as the next anthology sucker who will blindly support our money-making scam."
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Comments: 10
They tried to get me on that one this year. No way. If it costs...you didn't win!
And then they give the name of a known scam.
AAAAAARRRGGH!
G-O-O-G-L-E, people! I'm not sure if I'm angrier at the scammers or at the deluded people who support them, actually. What brought on this rant today was a victim/participant who actually tried to make a case that these scam "credits" will benefit you in getting published. More likely, it'll cause a legit editor, agent, or publisher to automatically toss your manuscript into the trash with the ones written in crayon. Nobody wants their legitimate business in someone's credits alongside scams.
I have a lens about some good places to start selling photography. You make money in dribs and drabs - there's no big cash and prizes - but it's a legitimate business and doesn't hurt your reputation on the way up as a photographer. Plus, YOU WILL get rejected. A lot (I sure do). And you'll learn a lot from it.