Famous Poets Society

The Famous Poets Society is an internet fraud organization run by a man known as John Campbell and members of his family. According to a report<ref> from the Better Business Bureau, they have been in business since 1994. As of July 31, 2007, the report also states that there have been 47 complaints filed against the company, which is not a member of the Bureau. Campbell himself has been in business for about twenty years, using various organizations and aliases to make a profit. The Society operates under several other names, such as: Celestial Arts; New York Poetry Alliance; Literary Guild; Reno Fine Arts Institute; and Living Poets Hall of Fame.

Game Plan

The scam begins with a prospective poet, wishing to get their work published and get paid. On their site, the Famous Poets Society prominently displays the promise of a $25,000 prize for entering their free contest. Regardless of the quality, the response letter is loaded with flattery to soften the victim up for the money grubbing that follows. All writers are declared to have extraordinary talent and are offered the chance to be published in their anthology. "Four exciting publishing options" are offered:

1. Have a special dedication printed with poem, $10.00. 2. Include a photograph of poet, $15.00. 3. Have poem illustrated to "highlight its artistry" , $20.00. 4. Include additional poems, $20.00 each, plus a nominal fee for additional typesetting, $1.00 per line. And a small fee for postage and handling, $6.00. In addition, one must buy the anthology to see their work published, $39.95

However, many who order the book never recieve it. And those who do are dissatisfied. It seems that the prestigious anthologies are shoddy books that are cheap to produce, resulting in maximum profit to be reaped. The aforementioned conventions are another way by which the Society profits from the naïvety of it's victims. The poet is invited to an annual convention, at which they can win up to $75,000 and be awarded. Great entertainment and possible scholarships are also promised. There is a fee of $595 to attend and one must pay for his own travel, lodging, and meals. The Boston Phoenix published an article<ref> 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.'

The article also spoke with David Beach about the Famous Poets conventions:

"The low point, Beach says, came during the so-called entertainment portion of the evening. 'People had been promised something professional, highly acclaimed,' he says. What they got was John Campbell, in a robe, sitting on a stool reciting Shakespeare. 'For his encore,' Beach says, 'Campbell read a love poem; behind him was a screen with the space shuttle Challenger exploding on it. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. People just walked out in horror.' And those people, Beach adds, walked out 'knowing they had been ripped off.'

In addition to extorting money through their poor quality goods and conventions, the Society may also harvest information from entrants and use it to publicize false endorsements of their service, junk mail, and spam.

Other Names and Organizations

John Campbells uses various aliases and company names in his work. The following list is taken from a post on the Ripoff Report webpage<ref>:

John Cambell, John Hamilton, Richard Cambell, Richard Huntington, Dr. Richard Huntington, Chuck, John Webber.

Hollywood's Famous Poets Society, Celestial Arts, F.P.S., Famous Poets Society, New Jersey Rainbow Poets, New York Poetry Alliance, Texas Poetry Alliance, Free Poetry Contest, International Library of Famous Poets, Quarterly Poetry Contest, Reno Fine Arts Institute, Florida Literary Guild.

Other aliases that are used to contact the victim are Mark Schramm, Martha French, and Lavender Aurora. French, who allegedly runs the mail for the Society, had not been known to return letters. Aurora is listed as an editor on anthologies, but how much of a role she plays in the publication is unknown.

External Links

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