The Strictly Writing blog had this to say about Young Writers in 2011:
What is distasteful in this case, however, is that the profit is the result of manipulating the emotions of small children and their parents.
Read more here: http://strictlywriting.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/vanity-publishing-for-kids.html
Monday 11 April 2016
Winning Writers on Young Writers: "Avoid"
Winning Writers, a blog for writers interested in competitions, wrote this about Young Writers:
These contests exercise a modest degree of selectivity, accepting 25-80% of entries. While this is better than publishing virtually all entries, we prefer more rigorous contests that reserve praise and publicity for truly outstanding work. We're concerned that excessive praise for average work may confuse writers about the meaning of excellence and weaken their drive to improve.
Read more here: https://winningwriters.com/the-best-free-literary-contests/contests-to-avoid
These contests exercise a modest degree of selectivity, accepting 25-80% of entries. While this is better than publishing virtually all entries, we prefer more rigorous contests that reserve praise and publicity for truly outstanding work. We're concerned that excessive praise for average work may confuse writers about the meaning of excellence and weaken their drive to improve.
Read more here: https://winningwriters.com/the-best-free-literary-contests/contests-to-avoid
Complaints About on Young Writers: "The Waltons who are associated with Young Writers are far from the impoverished characters of the TV series"
The Complaints About web site reported on Young Writers in 2011:
Young Writers is an organisation that operates supposedly with the blessing of local schools, however it may be that the schools are not aware of the past history of the directors of the company.
Read more here: http://complaints-about.com/youngwriters-bonacia-forwardpress.php
Young Writers is an organisation that operates supposedly with the blessing of local schools, however it may be that the schools are not aware of the past history of the directors of the company.
Read more here: http://complaints-about.com/youngwriters-bonacia-forwardpress.php
Little Stuff on Young Writers: "Their sole income stream is the parents/grandparents/family/friends of the children who have ‘won’ a place in the book"
Little Stuff, a personal blog from a parent, wrote about Young Writers in 2012
This company, Bonacia, is gaining a raft of fabulous content for its books – and then letting the parents of those authors, the captive audience which is emotionally tied to that content, purchase copies. I’ve searched Amazon – not one of Bonacia’s Young Writer poetry anthologies (and they’ve been going for 18 years, and the books are published regionally, so that’s a LOT of anthologies) is available to buy.
Read more from the blog here: http://www.littlestuff.co.uk/2012/09/rant-alert-my-child-won-a-young-writers-competiton-and-is-going-to-be-published/
This company, Bonacia, is gaining a raft of fabulous content for its books – and then letting the parents of those authors, the captive audience which is emotionally tied to that content, purchase copies. I’ve searched Amazon – not one of Bonacia’s Young Writer poetry anthologies (and they’ve been going for 18 years, and the books are published regionally, so that’s a LOT of anthologies) is available to buy.
Read more from the blog here: http://www.littlestuff.co.uk/2012/09/rant-alert-my-child-won-a-young-writers-competiton-and-is-going-to-be-published/
Bitter Wallet on Young Writers: "Emotional blackmail? Young Writers competition where you’ve got a good chance of winning, and forking out £16"
Bitter Wallet covered the Young Writers competition in September 2011:
LOADS of kids appear to have won, and the ‘winning’ entries were all compiled into a book, which as we hinted at, cost £14.99 plus £2.50 postage (it’s now £15.99 in 2011) Leaving the parents of the ‘winning’ kids in a bit of an emotional bind.
Read more at: http://www.bitterwallet.com/emotional-blackmail-young-writers-competition-where-youve-got-a-good-chance-of-winning-and-forking-out-16/49456
LOADS of kids appear to have won, and the ‘winning’ entries were all compiled into a book, which as we hinted at, cost £14.99 plus £2.50 postage (it’s now £15.99 in 2011) Leaving the parents of the ‘winning’ kids in a bit of an emotional bind.
Read more at: http://www.bitterwallet.com/emotional-blackmail-young-writers-competition-where-youve-got-a-good-chance-of-winning-and-forking-out-16/49456
Olive Press on Young Writers: "Dreams of thousands of aspiring young authors have been crushed by a suspect publishing scheme"
Olive Press in Spain investigated Forward Press (former operator of Young Writers) in June 2011:
The projects, run by disgraced UK poet Ian Walton, promise children the chance to see their ‘winning’ entries in print.
But, after taking thousands of euros from Spanish parents to see their kids’ work, the company shut down its offices in La Cala and Malaga.
Read more here: http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2011/01/31/forward-into-europe/ and here: http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2011/01/13/crushed-dreams/
This Is Money on Young Writers: "The 'People's Publisher' went bust and let down thousands of children..."
The Daily Mail sub-site This Is Money wrote about Young Writers in March 2011:
Read more here: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-1712176/Return-of-the-Peoples-Publisher.html
Forward Press Ltd crushed the dreams of thousands of aspiring authors across Britain and Spain, most of them children.
It took their parents' money on the promise of printing their words and artwork but then went bust. More than 95% of the company's revenues came from its Young Writers literary competitions, which were held in 31,500 British secondary and primary schools and nurseries.
Read more here: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-1712176/Return-of-the-Peoples-Publisher.html
Mumsnet on Young Writers: "It's just a cash cow. Steer clear."
This Mumsnet thread is from March 2011:
It's all done through the school but parents had no knowledge of entries being put in until we received letters saying our child had been selected. Parents are angry because a) the school gave out our names and addresses to the company without permission....and b) we are now pressurised into buying this massively over-priced book
Read more: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/1163112-Really-cross-with-school-Young-Writers/AllOnOnePage
It's all done through the school but parents had no knowledge of entries being put in until we received letters saying our child had been selected. Parents are angry because a) the school gave out our names and addresses to the company without permission....and b) we are now pressurised into buying this massively over-priced book
Read more: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/1163112-Really-cross-with-school-Young-Writers/AllOnOnePage
The Guardian on Young Writers: "The childrens' writing competition that looks like a money-making exercise"
This article is from The Guardian, in March 2009:
Any proud parent would be delighted to see their child's story chosen for publication - unless, as Jill Papworth discovered, the motivation seems to be more about making money than genuine achievement...
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2009/mar/21/young-writers-competition
Any proud parent would be delighted to see their child's story chosen for publication - unless, as Jill Papworth discovered, the motivation seems to be more about making money than genuine achievement...
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2009/mar/21/young-writers-competition
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