Once Upon A Rhyme

welshdeedee

Does anyone have any experience about this site/company?

My DD's School has entered this competition. Their books cost £15.99 ago.

Any information welcome.

http://www.youngwriters.co.uk/ouar/index.php

Plans_all_plans

I thought that with these sorts of things, everyone who submits a poem gets published?

If that's the case (and they're not published on merit) then it's up to you whether you want to fork out £15.99 on the book or not. It might be nice for your child to see their poem in print, but it depends how bothered you/they are about the whole thing.

ETA: I've just clicked on the link and it seems that selected poems are published, rather than just a job lot!! Sorry OP, I should've looked at the link before commenting!!

welshdeedee

So if they are all published.....hmmmmm.

It's an excellent money spinner and thats about it?

Plans_all_plans

Well that's what I'd heard about other poetry anthologies marketed at primary schools (not sure if this is in fact correct though)

I did edit my post to say that they state on their website 'selected poems' get published, so it may not be the case! Hopefully someone with the full facts will be along shortly to advise you!

msb5262

Hello,
My DD's school did this and to be honest, I was horrified.
There is no emphasis on quality of writing at all. They seem to "select" 99% of the work submitted and the focus is entirely on their selling the books, which aren't even nicely produced.
The whole thing is a rip off - I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.
Sorry to bring you bad news!
MsB

mountainofdebt

I think if you do a search on MSE there are numerous posts on how your son/ daughter appears to be the next poet laureate when in reality many of their classmates also seem to have the same hidden talent.

I fell for it once but not a second time.

jetta_wales

We had this kind of thing recently too. Frankly I'm not impressed at all with the school giving them our address to try and sell us these books when we were not once asked if they could do so.

welshdeedee

jetta_wales wrote: »

We had this kind of thing recently too. Frankly I'm not impressed at all with the school giving them our address to try and sell us these books when we were not once asked if they could do so.

This is an interesting point.

I think I will ask other parents if their children's poems were selected too before I decide to buy this expensive book.

welshdeedee

msb5262 wrote: »

Hello,
My DD's school did this and to be honest, I was horrified.
There is no emphasis on quality of writing at all. They seem to "select" 99% of the work submitted and the focus is entirely on their selling the books, which aren't even nicely produced.
The whole thing is a rip off - I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.
Sorry to bring you bad news!
MsB

Thank you for your honesty.

Sweet_Pea_2

My daughters school did this when DD2 was at Primary in Year 6. I was annoyed about it because it really is just a money making scheme and playing on parents sense of guilt. Some parents in my daughters class did not buy the book, and I dont blame them at all. Some parents really bought into it and ordered a few copies for family members. I bought one book for DD to keep because she was absolutely thrilled her poem was in a book and showed it to everyone who came to our house for weeks, so I eventually decided it was worth it just for that.

modgit

my son was entered in year 7 last year, and 108 out of a year of 120 were published ..... i think I asked on here about it last year, and assumed it was money making thing.

Was nice for a while to think i'd got a promising author though