Print the value of index0
Lone Star Publications ripoff non-existent publisher supposedly working with the Board of Education for Texas accepting manuscrpits for imaginary publishing! Dallas internet Texas, nationwide
Hi. I am writing from S.Asia.
I would like to report a publisher called Lone star Publications, non-existent which I found out only too late. I followed-up on a posting on Freelance-writing.com put there by this person calling herself Tamara. She later claimed to be one Ms. Tamara Dickey, the Editor of Lone star Publications, her prestigious educational book publisher for k-12 students in Texas with the Texas Education Board. Here's the e-mail that she sent me after I sent her my query letter, which would also be in my possession at this moment time. I kept it along with this communication in case I needed it in the future.
Hello ********,
I would love to read your manuscript. Your plot sounds very interesting and I would like to get a better feel for your writing style. I am currently accepting manuscripts through our mailing address (listed below) and this email address. If you use this email address, please be sure to write your name in the subject line and send your text in word format..
I look forward to hearing from you,
Tamra Dickey - Editor
res06wua@verizon.net
tamra@lonestarpublications..com
(469) 450-1397
Lone Star Publications
Attn: Tamra Dickey
P.O. Box 810872
Dallas, TX 75381
I searched their web site before I submitted any work and even then this site had pages that seemed to get repeated. I felt a slight suspicion but my naivety I suppose got the better of me and I submitted the work. She never got back to me despite three mails that I sent to her. The web site which was there all the while stated that their fall 2004 book line up would be listed on September 01st. it wasn't there, what's more even the web-site is missing.
I did not want to be hasty on my suspicion but I went through Yellow Pages and etc. and address and phone number all turned out to be non-existent unless yellow pages somehow has made a habit out of leaving out certain segments or people out of their listings on purpose which I felt assured could not be the case. There seemed to be five people called Tamara Dickey i don't know if it's one of them or somebody using their name.
I thought there might be a perfectly sensible reason for this perhaps being that my story simply didn't measure up. What's even sadder is that this story which I could not get copyrighted, was truly inspired work though I edited it to suit the audience being children.
I am an aspiring young writer and with a worse than desperate money situation at the moment. It's very hard to get published for one thing I imagine, but this isn't about the general way of things, because that's what everybody has to deal with in their chosen professions. Therefore, I for one am not for complaining unless given good reason to do so or for that matter am not for stealing from people even if I should heaven-forbid have to beg on the streets because I am too lazy to get a job. What's really sad that I was actually thinking of breaking my back to come to the United States of America. Incase this person reads this too, it takes alot more than this to break my resolve. I feel sorry for you because for one thing stealing people's dreams is one of the worst crimes you could commit, and of course theiving of intellectual property has its own penalties.
In case there's some way to rectify this situation please people at Rip-Off Report .com, do extend some assistance to me.
Since there is nothing specific I could in fact do, I'd like you to kindly put a copy of this e-mail into your listings.
Thank you.
M
Asia
3 Updates & Rebuttals
M
colombo,Asia,
Asia
Rectification...
#4Author of original report
Wed, January 26, 2005
I write this in a bid to rectify this unhappy situation. Having read the feedback from the company, I feel inclined to admit a mistake on my part because the Editor will not do this unless she can do it responsibly. I would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused, if any, and hope that this would act as a withdrawal of my assertion and farther rectify the misunderstanding. My sincere apologies to you Ms. Tamra Dickey and Lonestar Publications. I understand that a misconception is a problem when a new business attempts growth in its raw state and I hope this helps clear up any misconceptions farther.
May I state here with all due respect that I hardly consider asinine however, my handling of this situation as a consumer, as my misunderstanding and the apparently inexpertly interpreted events that did lead me to believe what I believed, such as the removal of the website, for farther construction as it later turned out, on that crucial date of 1st September and falling on top of the fact I could not locate the phone number and the address or the business.
The latter might be rather asinine in view that it could always be possible, but when the ZIP code was rejected and the website was taken off on the 1st of September on which date the Fall line up of books were said to be revealed, I got worried as I imagine anybody would have being quite naturally.
I have made the entry as you might have noticed a few days after the 1st of September, having tried to give the company the benefit of the doubt.
Unfortunately for me, although I thought I was doing the right thing as a consumer and also a writer to whom as a foreigner the website served as the only link to the company which at that time seemed terminated without warning as far as I know and in view of my e-mails not being replied, I took a stand.
However, as the quick reply by the Editor proves, it was nomore a misunderstanding. I hope that my side of the story would be well taken, as it is not one that is exceptional or infallibly extraordinary, but a human story based on human reasoning and honourable enough intentions.
Once again, Ms. Tamra Dickey, I extend my earnest regrets on this and please do not for a moment imagine that this was a personal attack or any type of character assassination because I have never being raised that way.
I only thought I was being helpful to many more people who may fall prey to a scam as many people do everyday, somewhere, every hour. Back then I did what I thought was the decent thing to do.
I have proven over and over to be a responsible person and although blunders are not uncharacteristic of any human being, irresponsibility on my part is uncharacteristic; therefore I assure you that this was an honest mistake.
I hope here to rectify that mistake by way of withdrawing the misconception I had at the time, whereby I would be able to contribute positively to your business in the only way I could.
My deepest regrets.
Wishing you every success,
M.
Tamra
Dallas,Texas,
U.S.A.
Lone Star Publications
#4REBUTTAL Individual responds
Sun, September 19, 2004
My name is Tamra Dickey and I am an editor for Lone Star Publications (LSP). I am replying to this asinine claim in hopes that I may clear up the misconceptions about LSP.
Lone Star Publications was started (and registered in Dallas County, Texas) in May of 2004 with the goal of publishing quality children's books that are both interesting and educational. Our first call for manuscripts was posted a few days after we began work on our website and was met with an overwhelming response. Because of the sheer mass of emails we have received since then, we only respond to manuscripts or queries that meet our requirements - all others are deleted immediately.
As the person making this claim noted our website is not finished yet. We are in the process of having our new content uploaded and it should be on the website soon. As important as the website is to our company it is more important for us to find and publish quality children's books.
If there are any questions regarding this particular claim, please feel free to email me directly at tamra@lonestarpublications.com (or my home email address res06wua@verizon.net).
Thanks,
Tamra Dickey
Lone Star Publications
P.O. Box 810872
Dallas, TX 75381
M
colombo,Asia,
Sri Lanka
checked the web everyday for this website to reappear and it has
#4Author of original report
Tue, September 07, 2004
Correction: it's Tamra not Tamara.
Well I checked the web everyday for this website to reappear and it has.
check out the free Newsletter part. You can type in your e-mail but there is no submit button. the address that appears is the same as what appeared in my mail and there is no such address according to yellow pages. The number she sent was sending error messages.
I am only doing this because I think we as browsers or those looking for certain kind of opportunuties should be careful and not so carried away when something we assume to be good happens, because there are people who do unimaginable things in today's world; theft of this kind is probably nothing.
I don't know what this person does, I don't know seriously if this person is a theif or not, I only said what happened to me, it isn't a case of sour grapes if anybody wants to think that way, but since you could still make sublissions to this web-site double check all details given on the web-site...
you won't find anything new though because most of the pages like about us, store, site map, FAQ, privacy policy is the same useless page getting repeated. Maybe they're a new company who have not finished designing their web-site. Byut if they were a legitimate business won't they atleast be registered as a business? They are not on the yellow pages, the number is false, the ZIP is false, and there are plenty of Tamara-s in Dallas, Texas that have different phone numbers.
I made an enquiry at verizon.net too (she sent me this e-mail too: res06wua@verizon.net.) But they haven't got back to me.
Thanks anyway. If you are a writer don't be hasty. I read a posting made by a little girl who has ssaid how heartbroken she was after a scam she fell to on a poetry web-site. My heart went out to her, because i know exactly what it is liek to be in her shoes, that youg and that desponmdent while being that hopeful.
Don't be hasty. Double check.i still hope that they are not a scam because the world could use one less rotten apple.