English professor spam

I received this item today:

Dear Professor of English,

Please submit a paper for [name withheld], an International journal . . . . Please visit the journal's website.

The important-sounding International was amusing, and the sheer absurdity of this invitation made it impossible not to visit the website. (Note: I have a strong anti-virus program and a firewall on my computer.)

The journal must be unique in the world of English studies in having an Angelfire homepage. It's probably also unique in having images of foxes (wolves?), polar bears, and walruses on its homepage. An individual copy costs $30 ($50 if you're a library). A $10 "processing fee" must be included with one's essay, the check made out not to the journal but to an individual. There is no indication what sort of essays the journal is seeking. My best guess is that it's seeking essays accompanied by $10 checks. Best of all, submitting authors are asked to name two people to serve as referees. Not what one usually means by "refereed journal"!

I can't decide: Is this a scam in which you hand over your money and get "published"? Or does the "publisher" simply take your money and disappear? Either way, this lit crit scam is a welcome diversion from the usual junkmail. At least these people know that I teach English, unlike the Nigerian barristers who are always knocking at my e-mail door.

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