John Wrigley said his poem - entitled Knutsford - was just dreadful.

"I penned a rubbish poem under the pseudonym Greg Carlton and sent it to Anchor Books," he said. "Of course it was accepted."

Mr Wrigley, 60, was offered no payment for publishing his poem, but instead was given the chance to buy discounted copies of the publishers' anthology, Poets' Pride in the North West.

"These kind of publishers rely on people thinking it would be nice to see their name in print," he said.

But Andrew Head, boss of Peterborough-based Anchor Books, said different people had different poetical tastes - and his editors had obviously been impressed with Mr Wrigley's poem.

Mr Head added: "There is no obligation for anyone to buy copies of books as they can be found in libraries." But Mr Wrigley, a retired copywriter of Marthall Lane, Ollerton, accused the company of running a vanity publishing operation - and warned others not to be fooled. "My concern is that most people like to see their work in print, and are prepared to spend money in order to do so," he said.

Anchor Books - which boasts the slogan Poetry for the people by the people - sifted through 1,000 entries for the regional anthology.

Mr Head said payment wasn't usually offered to writers, but sometimes they could receive 5 per cent royalties. General book shops rarely stock the books.

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