DD1'S a winner....isn't She?

 DD1 skipped proudly out of school yesterday clutching an envelope close to her chest and looking very excited. Her short story, she'd written in school had been entered into a competition and had won!
 The whole way home she gushed about being a winner, about being published in a book of winners, how she wanted to tell everyone we'd ever met about how good her story was.
  Naturally I was thrilled, I even got a touch teary in my pregnant state.  My clever little daughter winning writing comps aged 7. Amazing!

 But then I read the winners letter properly and the world began to crash down.
 The company running the "competition" have been running this scam for years. Every child in DD1's class, probably year group has received this letter. Out of the 25,000 entries into the competition her class won 30 winner places. What are the chances eh?
 In order to have your child's winning entry published you must send off a form giving permission to have it printed. AND agree to buy a copy of the printed book for the bargain price of £15.99 + £2 postage. There's offers to tempted you into buying more. 3 for 2, 10 for 7.
 Surely the winners get a free copy I thought. As a prize of their achievement? No. There is no achievement here. Every entry in that book paid £17 (minimum) to be there. If you don't pay you don't get entered.  Hardly a compltion is it.

 Apparently it's called vanity press, and thousands are duped into it every single school term.

 I'm fuming. And will not be buying a copy and will be warning others about it!

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