A special message from Bonnie Kaye
How is it when the con-men in the book selling business like Brien Jones goes out of business, he can still continue to cheat his authors even further? Unbelievable, isn’t it? Well, it seems like con men always find partners, especially in the state of Indiana where government views “fraudulence” as “bad business practices” rather than a crime.
Authors first were sent a letter by Brien Jones several weeks ago bemoaning his “hard luck” in the publishing industry. To special “friends,” he sent this letter, making each of them think they were getting some special personalized letter—which they weren’t. Almost everyone I know has received this with the name and the book title being the only thing that is different. Here it goes:
Dear _________________,
Enclosed is the letter we sent to all of Jones Harvest Publishing authors and vendors. Unlike some of those folks you were always a friend and supporter, and you deserve an explanation as well as my advice on where to go from here.
Six months before we closed I sent a long letter explaining the huge challenges we faced selling books and asking for suggestions.
The short version is bookstores didn’t pay when they ordered our books. JHP had to pay to ship books with an invoice. That was after we paid to print the books. If a store ordered a copy of _________________, they paid nothing. But I had to pay to print and ship the book.
If the bookstore ever paid they sent a check of 50%, but didn’t send that check to us. They sent that check to Baker & Taylor. Later B&T would send us a check for 40%. That was the best case scenario. More often we just received the front cover (stripped off to prove the book was unsold) often over a year later. I didn’t receive any suggestions.
That was with a Jones Harvest Publishing book. Getting even that far with a book from Authorhouse, Infinity or Vantage Press was impossible. When I said Xlibris I heard ‘click.’ Yet even against those odds, I tried to sell __________________ and the rest every way possible—more ways than you ever heard about. As with 99% of our titles I failed. It’s hard. And if you ever try selling somebody else’s book (or even your own) to bookstores you’ll find it’s also unpleasant.
By 2010 I spent half my day listening to bookstores hang up on me and the other half listening to authors that paid $950 to publish (usually less than we spent on the print run) complain about lack of sales. I have to admit I don’t feel very bad about giving up on some of those clients.
I do feel bad about you. You were one of the few that even acknowledged our website was free of vanity publishing information or that we had a bookstore. Most of our clients never noticed. I kept on trying anyway. The in 2011Borders closed 275 stores. Limping along and hoping was no longer possible.
To be a success in the self-publishing industry I would have to change everything. To survive I would have to be like all the rest and focus on selling authors their own books. That’s when I made an important discovery. I don’t want to be a success in vanity publishing.
I wish I could suggest another publisher that’s selling books, has a bookstore or even a website designed for that purpose. There aren’t any. The only subsidy, self or print-on-demand publishing companies with any promotion services are the same ones we’ve all known for years. They’re now offering “publicity” and “promotions” at appalling prices.
However, in my own search for a publisher, I concluded the best choice for you is Accurance, a company I’ve known about for a long time. I sent my books to them because:
1. They aren’t going out of business. They’ve been around since 1999 and growing.
2. Amost all books they produce are for other publishing companies—you’ve heard of most of them. It’s likely the publisher you choose uses Accurance for their production work (editing, book covers, typesetting/formatting, and conversion to eBook). Therefore you can cut out the middle man which takes us to price.
3. JHP could not survive charging $950 to publish because we were never POD. We always did print runs. Yet Accurance offers everything (for publishers) for $899. This is possible because of volume. They actually have a program for authors left in a lurch, because their publisher closed. (It’s not just JHP, there are many more with others to follow.) They have agreed to publish our books for $850.
4. They also answer the phone, or call you back quickly. They answer emails usually within minutes, at most hours. Most of the other companies I called answered electronically and sent me to someone’s voicemail.
There are plenty of companies out there promising the moon for $999 (but calling you from overseas.) I wanted the whole package including Kindle and REAL BOOKS with no surprises. My recommendation is Accurance. THE JHP bookselling plan didn’t work. But I would feel much better knowing you are receiving real books with good pricing, integrity, and stability.
To your books as fast as possible and at wholesale prices call Bill Earle, Author Partner Project Manager at Accurance at 1-727-550-6258. I have already transferred files for my books to them and can do the same for you.
I hope you have no hard feelings. I’m not walking away with a boat or an airplane (or even our house) and I truly tried. I hope you keep writing and trying to.
Sincerely,
Brien Jones
Let me say I found this letter—well—hysterical and pathetic and somewhat sociopathic as Brien Jones truly is. It was filled with lies and gross exaggerations for sure. But I will discuss that in my next update in the near future. For now, this is a WARNING to anyone who actually might be foolish enough to get burned one more time by this master of deceit.
But first, let me share with you the follow up letter that most of you have received by now from Accurance, the only company that Brien Jones trusts which has “republished” his books about the scary pumpkin and the crooked Vanity Publisher based on his own life story.
Accurance’s Bill Earle sent this letter to the list of Jones authors:
Hello! I wanted to touch base and introduce myself, Bill Earle if Accurance, Inc., since I was mentioned in the letter you should have received from Brien Jones. We are happy to be able to step in and offer our years of expertise to you for your current book that was published and future books. We have been around a long time and we aren't going anywhere.
Right now, we are concentrating everything on the Jones authors who were published with Jones. Those ISBNs are dead now so those books are no longer for sale. Even if sales were poor in the past for whatever reason, you don't have a chance at even one now.
Our Jones Publishing Package, is fast, high quality, as affordable as is possible, and most importantly - complete. Right now, the book you had published with Jones is no longer valid. The ISBN from Jones for your book is a dead account. We are honored to be able to offer you the fastest way back to the market for just $849 as Brien's letter stated:
1. We will revise your cover and interior - and that means as many revisions as you want or as few as changing the "Published by"
2. set up a new publishing account with Lulu.com
3. purchase your new ISBN
4. upload your new files
5. order and ship a proof copy to you
6. purchase and set up your new GlobalReach distribution to the Ingram database of all titles for sale - fresh to the market with a new ISBN and a new look in some cases.
We will also purchase and ship to you 9 more copies of your book at the end of the process before we turn over your new POD publishing account to you to monitor future sales and always order as few or as many copies of your own book at cost. It also all comes with expanded free revision cycles and unlimited email and phone support.
This package is not available on our website for obvious reasons. To purchase now simply go to our Misc. Services web page at :
http://accurance.com/index.php?go=services&goto=author&gotogo=authmiscservice and add to cart 849 units - they will be billed to your credit card of PayPal at $1 per unit. As soon as the purchase (always completely guaranteed) is made you will receive an introductory email from me with everything you need to know. Then, you can sit back and let us get you back in the book selling business the best way in the world we know how, at a price only available to you.
I will of course get back to calling you back as well.
Thanks!
Bill Earle
your author partner
Accurance, Inc.
(727) 550-6268
With the directions from Bill Earle, I did go to the link in his letter which led me to the Accurance website page where you can purchase the 849 units for $849.00. But then I took a moment to explore the rest of the website which led me to the page called “Author Services.” It was quite interesting seeing the pricing for authors who weren’t getting the special Jones Harvest deal. Of course he couldn't "list" this package on his website for obvious reasons--namely because you may have actually studied his prices for other authors. Well, I did it for you.
Here’s the irony of the special “Jones Harvest” pack.
Here are the the prices for the non-Jones Harvest author services:
Publishing Set Up Package $249
For the author who has viable, print-ready PDF files who needs set up with a POD publisher for worldwide print distribution (includes ISBN & Proof Copy). Your files will be uploaded, your ISBN will be purchased, you will receive a proof copy for final approval, and be distributed on the worldwide database serving potential buyers at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and many others.
Book Cover Creation $199
For the author who needs just the book cover (front/back/spin) designed. You will receive a print-ready PDF cover file. Package includes three (3) revision cycles until your cover is perfect for you.
There’s even this deluxe package:
The Whole Nine Yards Package - $799
Mechanical Editing/Interior Formatting/Custom Cover Design/Print Publishing/Distribution
Wow—editing your book and the rest of the whole nine yards. And it’s still less than the deal for Jones authors.
So let me see if I understand this. Accurance is getting the “viable, print-ready PDF files” from Brien Jones. According to their website, this is the Publishing Set-up Package they are offering for $249.00. If you decide to use them to redesign your book cover, the Book Cover Creation would cost $199.00. And that’s only if you want to have your cover redesigned. Otherwise, you can take off that charge. Okay—even if you want the book cover, that adds up to $448.00. Now, add in 9 additional copies at print cost—that’s approximately $36.00. So now we’re looking at less than $500.00 for the same services that Jones customers are charged $849.00. Hmmmm….
It gets even better. If you want the Ready-to-Sell Package & eCombo Package, according to their website, this will cost $799.00. And that includes all the wonderful services of the Publishing Set-Up Package, the Cover Design Package, and the eBook Package—all for less than the Jones Harvest Package. And even if you throw in the 9 extra books for $36.00, you’re still spending less than that special rate for the Jones Harvest package.
And guess what—if you take this route, you don’t even have a publisher. Accurance isn’t a publisher—it’s a set-up company that brokers you out to companies like Lulu where you are your own publisher.
Anyway, even before I did the math when I first learned of this new alliance between Accurance and King Con, I wrote Bill Earle a note:
wearle@accurance.com
Dear Mr. Earle,
Since we haven't met before, I did want to let you know that if you have developed any type of positive reputation for your company, you should think about how it will be affected now that you are working with Brien Jones. In case you’re not aware, Mr. Jones is under criminal investigation by various government agencies for fraudulent practices against authors. Since it didn’t faze him about screwing hundreds of people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, I’m not quite sure why you would want your name tarnished by being associated with him, but that’s your decision.
Please be aware that when I send out my update this week to over 600 Airleaf Victims and over 100 Jones Harvest victims, I will be mentioning your connection. Don’t expect great things to happen for you or your company because of that. I would really reconsider your relationship with him because it will really be a losing one for you and your company.
Best regards,
Bonnie Kaye, M.Ed.
www.Jonesharvestfraudvictims.com
www.Airleafvictims.com
To date, no response. Now I understand why. I wasn’t even aware of the “special Jones Harvest prices” when I wrote that letter to Mr. Earle.
I do have an extensive letter going out next week to all of our members of our Airleaf/Jones Harvest victim groups giving you updates of what is going on with the criminals who stole our money. However, in the meantime, I’m posting this on my blog to alert as many people as possible about this newest scam. Do not allow yourselves to become a victim one more time. For some of you, it’s happened more than once. Remember—anything associated with Brien Jones will take bring you to a dark place where you don’t want to go. Don’t fall into this pit hole again.
Showing posts with label Bonnie Kaye. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bonnie Kaye. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Sunday, June 28, 2009
ANIMAL FARM REVISITED
ANIMAL FARM REVISITED
When I was in high school, one of the books that left its profoundly affected me was Animal Farm by George Orwell. This was an expose of communism and how proclaimed “equality” led to slavery. It’s a story where the animals took over the farm seeking justice and equal rights for all animals, but in the end, the pigs outsmarted the rest of the animals and treated them worse than their human masters.
At this stage of my life, I can finally identify with one of the main characters of the book named Snowball. Snowball was one of the revolutionaries who believed in justice for the animals. He helped teach the other animals how to read and stand up for themselves. But this didn’t work for the greedy pig Napoleon. He wanted to live with special privileges at the expense of the other animals who were doing all the work. He knew that Snowball, the voice of sanity and reason, would circumvent his efforts to lead the animals back into slavery.
Napoleon started spreading lies about Snowball blaming him for everything that went wrong on the farm. When the other animals would question this, they were put down and isolated from the group until they agreed to believe the lies. Eventually, a pack of wild dogs attacked Snowball and drove him away once and for all. From that day forth, when anything broke on the farm or the benefits weren’t trickling down to the animals, it was blamed on Snowball. He was still creating havoc to ruin everything—or so the animals were told.
Brien Jones is a fraud. He has deceived so many people that I’ve even lost count. And when he fails, rather than accept responsibility, whose fault is it? Bonnie Kaye’s. Yep, it is all my fault. I have become his modern day Snowball.
Here’s an example of what Jones wrote to several complaining authors:
"The last time I sent out bookstore contacts, the author gave the list to Bonnie Kaye and she proceeded to call each and every one of them. Many of our books were returned. Now that list is proprietary. We should have kept it confidential from the start."
That’s pretty funny. No author has ever given me a bookstore contact. The ONLY bookstore I ever called was the one that Jones has pictured on his site. It is called Books N’ More an Indianapolis bookstore. It is there for anyone to view, so I called the store to see if the books were still being displayed. The owner told me they were taken down last July. It had nothing to do with Bonnie Kaye, but rather that the books weren’t selling and it was a temporary display.
One thing that should have kept confidential was the list of authors that Brien Jones provided me with to start the Airleaf Victims campaign. On his recent blog, he states:
"Everyone exalts Bonnie Kaye for putting together 600 Airleaf clients and closing the place down. In the teeny tiny world of untalented writers turned watchdogs and their blogs she reigns supreme. (Hey Lee, I knew you were a guy! It was an insult dumbass.) I wouldn’t include any further insults that could be used against you."
"However, there is another side to the Airleaf story, one never told. At the end of 2006 and the end of my time in Martinsville there were 3000 clients. I have no idea how many authors bought services from Airleaf in 2007 and 2008, I wasn’t there. So we’ll be conservative and add ZERO new clients after I left."
"Subtract out Bonnie’s 600 victims (and I believe they were victims) and that leaves 2400 Airleaf authors.Out of those estimated 2400 Airleaf non-victim authors, how many paid just for publishing? How many received their books and didn’t sign up for anything else?"
The truth is that Brien Jones provided me with the original list of approximately 500authors and their email addresses claiming these were “angry authors” who felt they were screwed by Airleaf. That’s how I started contacting authors in the beginning—with Brien’s list. I’ll be able to produce that for court when he someday takes me there as he keeps promising. Now it may be true that Airleaf had 3,000 clients—but I didn’t have access to the rest of that list like Brien had when he stole the data base from Airleaf to open his new company. And yes, I can prove that too because now I have the list. It’s with another list of his Jones Harvest clients with little notes he writes about each person next to their name so he doesn’t forget the stories he’s making up along the way along with some derogatory notes about some of his authors. That list was given to me courtesy of several of his ex-employees who felt that by giving it to me, it would be in good hands. I’ll be showing those in court as evidence as well. And also one more lie that Brien keeps stating over and over—Airleaf closed on December 21, 2007, not 2008. Brien had been out of there just about a year.
The funniest thing is that in the beginning of my Airleaf Victims campaign when I sent my letters to authors about being cheated by Airleaf, at least 80% of them were complaining about Brien Jones and not about Airleaf. He was the salesman who made promises to take their book to fame and fortune as he happily took their money but somehow ignored them after he drained them. In those days, I defended him to the hilt because I didn’t know any better. I believed his lies that he was a victim of Airleaf just like me. But getting back to the point, I didn’t have the list of 3,000 so there was no way for me to contact the other potential victims until recently. At this time, it would serve no purpose to contact authors because Airleaf is closed.
One last thought--even if his assumption was correct that there were 2,400 happy authors, does that negate the hardship, pain, and loss of money of the 600 who were scammed? Jones's logic would think so because that's how he conducts his business. It doesn't matter if over 80 people are accusing him of taking their money--he'll have a few dozen state they love him and that makes it okay.
And now for the update on the “Sue Bonnie Kaye” case. Brien is sending this letter to authors:
"Jones Harvest Publishing along with 230 (so far) plus SIX OTHER COMPANIES is finally filing suit against Bonnie Kaye. I already paid the Miller Law Group in West Lawn PA for the whole thing, so I don't need any money from you or anyone.
I have decided to include clients like you in the suit at no charge. Please believe me when I tell you her attacks on my company have hurt you and your books. You deserve compensation too."
"You don't have to do anything, or say anything, or pay anything, or go anywhere. You'll just get a share of whatever we get back.If you want a share of the settlement, all you have to do is say "Yes" and I'll add you to the list.
I would love it if you stood with us."
This is quite interesting because Brien doesn’t have 230 authors. According to his Amazon reports, he has approximately 150 authors who have published with him. And the funny thing is I have over 80 reports from authors who have been scammed by him who came to me for help, so somehow, these numbers just don’t add up.
But let’s say that Brien could find 5000 people to join a law suit against me. What is it he is suing me for? Telling the truth? Revealing that he has been deceiving authors and taking their money without providing services? Is this a crime? Are we all living on that Animal Farm where truth becomes lies and lies become the law?
By the way, in an effort to find a new way to make some money, since selling books isn’t what Brien is good at according to Brien when he tells authors:
"I hope you have noticed that you haven't received any letters about new bookselling packages. It's not because we ran out of stamps. We decided to make it or not, with the books and authors we have. We're still trying to find a way to sell books, when I come up with something I'll call."
Now that’s finally something that IS true! They are clueless in finding ways to sell books and they refuse to do what they have authors pay them for—like contacting every media outlet and bookstore within a 100 mile area of their homes.
So now here’s the Jones Harvest new letters sent to all the former Airleaf mailing list:
You don't need to send money or books.
I'll put your book on our websites. No charge, no obligation. I'll even make a few calls. If you want to send me books, I’ll try to put them in stores. (Again, no charge, no obligation.)
I worked at Airleaf Publishing through 2006, (they closed in 2008) and I just want to help out if I can.
http://www.jonesharvest.com/
http://www.authorgifts.com/
http://www.bookwheat.com/
http://www.myauthorprofile.com/
http://www.myperfectheart.com/
If you don’t pay anything and you don’t have to send me books, how can you become a “victim”?
Brien Jones
Author Celebrity Assoc.
Jones Harvest Publishing
Toll-Free 877-400-0075
Then when you say "yes" to this free offer agreeing to let Jones sell your book, here’s the next letter you get:
We have 800 books for sale on http://www.jonesharvest.com/ including yours. However, there are only 25 spots for book covers on the home page.
I can offer you one of those powerful places for 3 months for just $400. I can put your book on the top row for just $600! No one will have to type your name or title into the search box, your book is RIGHT THERE! That means any bookstore owner that looks at our site will see your cover!
I have one spot left on the top row, two on the second row and eleven more total. Whoever gets them first gets them!
Brien Jones
Author Celebrity Assoc.
Jones Harvest Publishing
Toll-Free 877-400-0075
The first book on the top prime row is “The Stone” by David Welden. According to the synopsis of the book:
The author reveals firsthand accounts of people who have been aboard alien ships. He also provides a detailed timeline of the chronology of Earth from 450,000 B.C. to 2023 B.C. Welden goes on to explain the genetics behind it all, including a discussion of mitochondrial DNA and the role of the Y chromosome.
This book was published by Jones Harvest in 2008 and the ranking on Amazon is #3,894,935. So if this is the first book on the first line giving it “prime time viewing,” you can imagine how well the others are selling—NOT. And yet, people are PAYING for those SPOTS?
I don’t understand how some people are still so suckered in. I have so many letters of people feeling ashamed for throwing their money into the bargain basement of the Jones Family Home, where their publishing company is located. Lots of people are spending lots of money, but who besides Jones is making lots of money?
There is no shame in being conned. It happens to decent, hard-working people who believe in the goodness of people. The shame is to allow it to keep happening or refusing to stop it when it happens again.
You don’t have to be a victim—you can be a victor. All you have to do is “Just Say No” when you receive an offer from Jones Harvest. If you want to give money to charity, make it a worthwhile one that you can at least use as a tax write-off.
Love, Bonnie Kaye
When I was in high school, one of the books that left its profoundly affected me was Animal Farm by George Orwell. This was an expose of communism and how proclaimed “equality” led to slavery. It’s a story where the animals took over the farm seeking justice and equal rights for all animals, but in the end, the pigs outsmarted the rest of the animals and treated them worse than their human masters.
At this stage of my life, I can finally identify with one of the main characters of the book named Snowball. Snowball was one of the revolutionaries who believed in justice for the animals. He helped teach the other animals how to read and stand up for themselves. But this didn’t work for the greedy pig Napoleon. He wanted to live with special privileges at the expense of the other animals who were doing all the work. He knew that Snowball, the voice of sanity and reason, would circumvent his efforts to lead the animals back into slavery.
Napoleon started spreading lies about Snowball blaming him for everything that went wrong on the farm. When the other animals would question this, they were put down and isolated from the group until they agreed to believe the lies. Eventually, a pack of wild dogs attacked Snowball and drove him away once and for all. From that day forth, when anything broke on the farm or the benefits weren’t trickling down to the animals, it was blamed on Snowball. He was still creating havoc to ruin everything—or so the animals were told.
Brien Jones is a fraud. He has deceived so many people that I’ve even lost count. And when he fails, rather than accept responsibility, whose fault is it? Bonnie Kaye’s. Yep, it is all my fault. I have become his modern day Snowball.
Here’s an example of what Jones wrote to several complaining authors:
"The last time I sent out bookstore contacts, the author gave the list to Bonnie Kaye and she proceeded to call each and every one of them. Many of our books were returned. Now that list is proprietary. We should have kept it confidential from the start."
That’s pretty funny. No author has ever given me a bookstore contact. The ONLY bookstore I ever called was the one that Jones has pictured on his site. It is called Books N’ More an Indianapolis bookstore. It is there for anyone to view, so I called the store to see if the books were still being displayed. The owner told me they were taken down last July. It had nothing to do with Bonnie Kaye, but rather that the books weren’t selling and it was a temporary display.
One thing that should have kept confidential was the list of authors that Brien Jones provided me with to start the Airleaf Victims campaign. On his recent blog, he states:
"Everyone exalts Bonnie Kaye for putting together 600 Airleaf clients and closing the place down. In the teeny tiny world of untalented writers turned watchdogs and their blogs she reigns supreme. (Hey Lee, I knew you were a guy! It was an insult dumbass.) I wouldn’t include any further insults that could be used against you."
"However, there is another side to the Airleaf story, one never told. At the end of 2006 and the end of my time in Martinsville there were 3000 clients. I have no idea how many authors bought services from Airleaf in 2007 and 2008, I wasn’t there. So we’ll be conservative and add ZERO new clients after I left."
"Subtract out Bonnie’s 600 victims (and I believe they were victims) and that leaves 2400 Airleaf authors.Out of those estimated 2400 Airleaf non-victim authors, how many paid just for publishing? How many received their books and didn’t sign up for anything else?"
The truth is that Brien Jones provided me with the original list of approximately 500authors and their email addresses claiming these were “angry authors” who felt they were screwed by Airleaf. That’s how I started contacting authors in the beginning—with Brien’s list. I’ll be able to produce that for court when he someday takes me there as he keeps promising. Now it may be true that Airleaf had 3,000 clients—but I didn’t have access to the rest of that list like Brien had when he stole the data base from Airleaf to open his new company. And yes, I can prove that too because now I have the list. It’s with another list of his Jones Harvest clients with little notes he writes about each person next to their name so he doesn’t forget the stories he’s making up along the way along with some derogatory notes about some of his authors. That list was given to me courtesy of several of his ex-employees who felt that by giving it to me, it would be in good hands. I’ll be showing those in court as evidence as well. And also one more lie that Brien keeps stating over and over—Airleaf closed on December 21, 2007, not 2008. Brien had been out of there just about a year.
The funniest thing is that in the beginning of my Airleaf Victims campaign when I sent my letters to authors about being cheated by Airleaf, at least 80% of them were complaining about Brien Jones and not about Airleaf. He was the salesman who made promises to take their book to fame and fortune as he happily took their money but somehow ignored them after he drained them. In those days, I defended him to the hilt because I didn’t know any better. I believed his lies that he was a victim of Airleaf just like me. But getting back to the point, I didn’t have the list of 3,000 so there was no way for me to contact the other potential victims until recently. At this time, it would serve no purpose to contact authors because Airleaf is closed.
One last thought--even if his assumption was correct that there were 2,400 happy authors, does that negate the hardship, pain, and loss of money of the 600 who were scammed? Jones's logic would think so because that's how he conducts his business. It doesn't matter if over 80 people are accusing him of taking their money--he'll have a few dozen state they love him and that makes it okay.
And now for the update on the “Sue Bonnie Kaye” case. Brien is sending this letter to authors:
"Jones Harvest Publishing along with 230 (so far) plus SIX OTHER COMPANIES is finally filing suit against Bonnie Kaye. I already paid the Miller Law Group in West Lawn PA for the whole thing, so I don't need any money from you or anyone.
I have decided to include clients like you in the suit at no charge. Please believe me when I tell you her attacks on my company have hurt you and your books. You deserve compensation too."
"You don't have to do anything, or say anything, or pay anything, or go anywhere. You'll just get a share of whatever we get back.If you want a share of the settlement, all you have to do is say "Yes" and I'll add you to the list.
I would love it if you stood with us."
This is quite interesting because Brien doesn’t have 230 authors. According to his Amazon reports, he has approximately 150 authors who have published with him. And the funny thing is I have over 80 reports from authors who have been scammed by him who came to me for help, so somehow, these numbers just don’t add up.
But let’s say that Brien could find 5000 people to join a law suit against me. What is it he is suing me for? Telling the truth? Revealing that he has been deceiving authors and taking their money without providing services? Is this a crime? Are we all living on that Animal Farm where truth becomes lies and lies become the law?
By the way, in an effort to find a new way to make some money, since selling books isn’t what Brien is good at according to Brien when he tells authors:
"I hope you have noticed that you haven't received any letters about new bookselling packages. It's not because we ran out of stamps. We decided to make it or not, with the books and authors we have. We're still trying to find a way to sell books, when I come up with something I'll call."
Now that’s finally something that IS true! They are clueless in finding ways to sell books and they refuse to do what they have authors pay them for—like contacting every media outlet and bookstore within a 100 mile area of their homes.
So now here’s the Jones Harvest new letters sent to all the former Airleaf mailing list:
You don't need to send money or books.
I'll put your book on our websites. No charge, no obligation. I'll even make a few calls. If you want to send me books, I’ll try to put them in stores. (Again, no charge, no obligation.)
I worked at Airleaf Publishing through 2006, (they closed in 2008) and I just want to help out if I can.
http://www.jonesharvest.com/
http://www.authorgifts.com/
http://www.bookwheat.com/
http://www.myauthorprofile.com/
http://www.myperfectheart.com/
If you don’t pay anything and you don’t have to send me books, how can you become a “victim”?
Brien Jones
Author Celebrity Assoc.
Jones Harvest Publishing
Toll-Free 877-400-0075
Then when you say "yes" to this free offer agreeing to let Jones sell your book, here’s the next letter you get:
We have 800 books for sale on http://www.jonesharvest.com/ including yours. However, there are only 25 spots for book covers on the home page.
I can offer you one of those powerful places for 3 months for just $400. I can put your book on the top row for just $600! No one will have to type your name or title into the search box, your book is RIGHT THERE! That means any bookstore owner that looks at our site will see your cover!
I have one spot left on the top row, two on the second row and eleven more total. Whoever gets them first gets them!
Brien Jones
Author Celebrity Assoc.
Jones Harvest Publishing
Toll-Free 877-400-0075
The first book on the top prime row is “The Stone” by David Welden. According to the synopsis of the book:
The author reveals firsthand accounts of people who have been aboard alien ships. He also provides a detailed timeline of the chronology of Earth from 450,000 B.C. to 2023 B.C. Welden goes on to explain the genetics behind it all, including a discussion of mitochondrial DNA and the role of the Y chromosome.
This book was published by Jones Harvest in 2008 and the ranking on Amazon is #3,894,935. So if this is the first book on the first line giving it “prime time viewing,” you can imagine how well the others are selling—NOT. And yet, people are PAYING for those SPOTS?
I don’t understand how some people are still so suckered in. I have so many letters of people feeling ashamed for throwing their money into the bargain basement of the Jones Family Home, where their publishing company is located. Lots of people are spending lots of money, but who besides Jones is making lots of money?
There is no shame in being conned. It happens to decent, hard-working people who believe in the goodness of people. The shame is to allow it to keep happening or refusing to stop it when it happens again.
You don’t have to be a victim—you can be a victor. All you have to do is “Just Say No” when you receive an offer from Jones Harvest. If you want to give money to charity, make it a worthwhile one that you can at least use as a tax write-off.
Love, Bonnie Kaye
Sunday, May 24, 2009
GETTING READY FOR COURT!!
GETTING READY FOR COURT
I’m blowing the dust off of all of my legal courtroom dramas that I’ve accumulated over the years and trying to “brush up” on defense tips before I go to court. From what I’ve read from some of the Jones Harvest authors who keep me posted on this fraudster’s shenanigans, Brien Jones, owner of Jones Harvest Publishing in Bloomington, Indiana, has gathered “196 of his authors, 3 of his ex-employees, and 6 companies” to join together in a lawsuit against me.
Actually, the numbers change from day to day, but here is the basic letter to authors:
I hope you have noticed that you haven't received any letters about new bookselling packages. It's not because we ran out of stamps. We decided to make it or not, with the books and authors we have. We're still trying to find a way to sell books, when I come up with something I'll call.
In the mean time, this is free.
Jones Harvest Publishing along with 190 authors (so far) plus SIX OTHER COMPANIES is finally filing suit against Bonnie Kaye. I already paid the Miller Law Group in West Lawn PA for the whole thing, so I don't need any money from you or anyone.
I have decided to include clients like you in the suit at no charge. Please believe me when I tell you her attacks on my company have hurt you and your books. You deserve compensation too.
You don't have to do anything, or say anything, or pay anything, or go anywhere. You'll just get a share of whatever we get back.
If you want a share of the settlement, all you have to do is say "Yes" and I'll add you to the list.
I would love it if you stood with us.
Brien Jones
Author Celebrity Assoc.
Jones Harvest Publishing
Toll-Free 877-400-0075
Since I know that Jones has written some compelling fiction in his day, such as his “The Scariest Pumpkin of Them All,” where he later took his company logo of a scary pumpkin from, I started wondering, “How do I start providing a defense against someone who can’t distinguish truth from fiction, or more to the point, from someone whose truth is fiction?”
Let’s start with 196 of his authors….or 190…or whatever the number is. As I read the Amazon quarterly sales reports that one of his authors forwarded to me, I counted 160 titles that are part of his publishing company. And guess what one of the 160 titles is? Yep, his book “The Scariest Pumpkin of Them All.” And as I examined the Amazon list further, guess what another title was? “The Year the Reindeer Went on Strike,” another Brien Jones creation. It seems like a prophetic book before it’s time when I read the synopsis: "Santa Claus searches for a new way to power his sleigh when his reindeer go on strike. First using penguins, then polar bears, Santa learns just how much he needs his reindeer. Can he work out a compromise in time?" This sounds similar to the real story of his employees all quitting due to his fraudulence and he needs to figure out how to get a book published before the legal authorities get to him. I don’t know how that book ended, but I do know from his ex-employees that they would never return. And then there is the third Jones book, his novel “The Manuscript” which according to Jones’s write up on his Starred Review website (page 4) will really make you think:
As the President of Jones Harvest Publishing, author Brien Jones draws on his experience in the industry for parodying the world of publishing in The Manuscript. Through his coruscating wit and wry observations, he takes off on subsidy publishers, aspiring writers, poetry, thrillers, and romance novels, as well as Indiana town.Lee Goodwin is an author consultant at an Indiana-based print-on-demand publisher, Myownbook.com, where by paying $1000 aspiring authors can make their dreams come true and get their manuscripts turned into books. To be published by this company, a book has to conform to three rigid standards - it cannot be pornographic, dangerous, or racially prejudiced. But this applies for just the first three pages, since they are the only ones read by the publisher during the supposedly stringent screening process! Even though Lee has to sometimes contend with eccentric writers, insufferable poets ("I am not a big fan of poetry. I figure life is tough enough, why rhyme about it?"), and strange conversations (like when an author claims, "My dog is possessed by Hitler's ghost."), it is a job the forty-one-year-old divorcee enjoys.
Like I said, his fiction is sometimes indistinguishable from his truths. But more to the point, 3 of the books listed on the Amazon list of 160 were his. And for a guy who is supposed to be such an expert on book selling, how come his books haven’t sold any? Actually, for that matter, of the 160 titles on the Amazon report for that quarter, I saw sales for 21 books.
Now let’s be logical. Am I, Bonnie Kaye, the cause for the lack of book sales for the Jones Harvest authors on Amazon? I think not. My attacks on not on Jones Harvest authors—they are on the publishing and publicity fraud of Brien Jones and Jones Harvest. What this means is that by exposing this company, new unsuspecting authors have a chance to read the truth before throwing out their money, and current victims of his fraudulence realize they have a way to fight back through my help.
I’m not sure what anyone can sue me for. I have heard from nearly 80 authors as of today who have sent me complaints about being scammed by Jones Harvest. I think it will be much easier for me to find them to testify then it is for Brien Jones to find authors who want to sue me for…..what exactly is it they are suing me for?
I know the wheels of justice turn very slowly, but in my heart, I do believe that honesty will always win out over dishonesty. Constantly trying to defend a lie is not only difficult, but exhausting as well. Remembering lie after lie is a full time job. But then again, Brien Jones has plenty of time on his hands. As he said in his letter, he’s not soliciting new authors and he doesn’t know how to sell the books of his old ones. But he has paid in full for a law suit against me. Maybe that’s why none of his authors have received their royalties this year.
I think I better start taping the Law and Order episodes I may have missed to brush up on some legal strategies. You know I'll keep you posted!
I’m blowing the dust off of all of my legal courtroom dramas that I’ve accumulated over the years and trying to “brush up” on defense tips before I go to court. From what I’ve read from some of the Jones Harvest authors who keep me posted on this fraudster’s shenanigans, Brien Jones, owner of Jones Harvest Publishing in Bloomington, Indiana, has gathered “196 of his authors, 3 of his ex-employees, and 6 companies” to join together in a lawsuit against me.
Actually, the numbers change from day to day, but here is the basic letter to authors:
I hope you have noticed that you haven't received any letters about new bookselling packages. It's not because we ran out of stamps. We decided to make it or not, with the books and authors we have. We're still trying to find a way to sell books, when I come up with something I'll call.
In the mean time, this is free.
Jones Harvest Publishing along with 190 authors (so far) plus SIX OTHER COMPANIES is finally filing suit against Bonnie Kaye. I already paid the Miller Law Group in West Lawn PA for the whole thing, so I don't need any money from you or anyone.
I have decided to include clients like you in the suit at no charge. Please believe me when I tell you her attacks on my company have hurt you and your books. You deserve compensation too.
You don't have to do anything, or say anything, or pay anything, or go anywhere. You'll just get a share of whatever we get back.
If you want a share of the settlement, all you have to do is say "Yes" and I'll add you to the list.
I would love it if you stood with us.
Brien Jones
Author Celebrity Assoc.
Jones Harvest Publishing
Toll-Free 877-400-0075
Since I know that Jones has written some compelling fiction in his day, such as his “The Scariest Pumpkin of Them All,” where he later took his company logo of a scary pumpkin from, I started wondering, “How do I start providing a defense against someone who can’t distinguish truth from fiction, or more to the point, from someone whose truth is fiction?”
Let’s start with 196 of his authors….or 190…or whatever the number is. As I read the Amazon quarterly sales reports that one of his authors forwarded to me, I counted 160 titles that are part of his publishing company. And guess what one of the 160 titles is? Yep, his book “The Scariest Pumpkin of Them All.” And as I examined the Amazon list further, guess what another title was? “The Year the Reindeer Went on Strike,” another Brien Jones creation. It seems like a prophetic book before it’s time when I read the synopsis: "Santa Claus searches for a new way to power his sleigh when his reindeer go on strike. First using penguins, then polar bears, Santa learns just how much he needs his reindeer. Can he work out a compromise in time?" This sounds similar to the real story of his employees all quitting due to his fraudulence and he needs to figure out how to get a book published before the legal authorities get to him. I don’t know how that book ended, but I do know from his ex-employees that they would never return. And then there is the third Jones book, his novel “The Manuscript” which according to Jones’s write up on his Starred Review website (page 4) will really make you think:
As the President of Jones Harvest Publishing, author Brien Jones draws on his experience in the industry for parodying the world of publishing in The Manuscript. Through his coruscating wit and wry observations, he takes off on subsidy publishers, aspiring writers, poetry, thrillers, and romance novels, as well as Indiana town.Lee Goodwin is an author consultant at an Indiana-based print-on-demand publisher, Myownbook.com, where by paying $1000 aspiring authors can make their dreams come true and get their manuscripts turned into books. To be published by this company, a book has to conform to three rigid standards - it cannot be pornographic, dangerous, or racially prejudiced. But this applies for just the first three pages, since they are the only ones read by the publisher during the supposedly stringent screening process! Even though Lee has to sometimes contend with eccentric writers, insufferable poets ("I am not a big fan of poetry. I figure life is tough enough, why rhyme about it?"), and strange conversations (like when an author claims, "My dog is possessed by Hitler's ghost."), it is a job the forty-one-year-old divorcee enjoys.
Like I said, his fiction is sometimes indistinguishable from his truths. But more to the point, 3 of the books listed on the Amazon list of 160 were his. And for a guy who is supposed to be such an expert on book selling, how come his books haven’t sold any? Actually, for that matter, of the 160 titles on the Amazon report for that quarter, I saw sales for 21 books.
Now let’s be logical. Am I, Bonnie Kaye, the cause for the lack of book sales for the Jones Harvest authors on Amazon? I think not. My attacks on not on Jones Harvest authors—they are on the publishing and publicity fraud of Brien Jones and Jones Harvest. What this means is that by exposing this company, new unsuspecting authors have a chance to read the truth before throwing out their money, and current victims of his fraudulence realize they have a way to fight back through my help.
I’m not sure what anyone can sue me for. I have heard from nearly 80 authors as of today who have sent me complaints about being scammed by Jones Harvest. I think it will be much easier for me to find them to testify then it is for Brien Jones to find authors who want to sue me for…..what exactly is it they are suing me for?
I know the wheels of justice turn very slowly, but in my heart, I do believe that honesty will always win out over dishonesty. Constantly trying to defend a lie is not only difficult, but exhausting as well. Remembering lie after lie is a full time job. But then again, Brien Jones has plenty of time on his hands. As he said in his letter, he’s not soliciting new authors and he doesn’t know how to sell the books of his old ones. But he has paid in full for a law suit against me. Maybe that’s why none of his authors have received their royalties this year.
I think I better start taping the Law and Order episodes I may have missed to brush up on some legal strategies. You know I'll keep you posted!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
AIRLEAF VICTIMS UPDATE 4/11/09
Dear Airleaf Victims and Friends,
This is a short update to keep you posted on our activity. After sending out the update last week of our rejection by Timothy Morrison to consider Airleaf's action a "crime" in Indiana, 128 of you responded to date that you will sign a petition to request the reversal of that decision, and 53 of you sent me a notice that you emailed Mr. Morrison to voice your objection to his decision. If you haven't had time to respond to the petition, please drop me a note as soon as possible so I can add you to our list. If you haven't sent your message to Mr. Morrison, please take a moment to do so at USAINS.Webmaster@usdoj.gov, The more of us who stand up, the more powerful our case will be.
On Tuesday, I will send out a press release to the Indiana news media about our case. I will announce the launching of my new site www.IndianaWelcomesCrooks.com which you can now click into and read. I have also had our Airleaf Victims website with your stories redesigned to look more professional. You can view it at www.AirleafVictims.com. I want to make sure that our message is heard loud and clear.
Last Sunday, I sent a letter to the 83 state legislators in Indiana. In addition, I sent the letter to the Governor's office, the Senators and Congressmen. It stated:
Dear (Indiana Legislator),
My name is Bonnie Kaye. I am the organizer of the Airleaf Victims group which can be seen at www.AirleafVictims.com. There are over 600 authors in our organization who were defrauded of over 2 million dollars by Airleaf Publishing in Martinsville, Indiana until we forced it to close through stopping its cash flow by exposing its fraudulence. In spite of our pleas for help to the agencies in your state which are there to protect people from consumer fraud, no action was taken to stop the company from operating until after the fact. Last May, your Attorney General handed down a half-million dollar judgment against the company from a cohort of 120 of our authors. The owner, Carl Lau, is declaring bankruptcy, so there will be no restitution. We pushed for retribution by requesting this man be punished for criminal charges. For 18 months, I worked with the FBI and Postal authorities presenting case after case of criminal action on Airleaf's part. On Friday, I was informed by the FBI that your U.S. Attorney, Timothy Morrison, has decided that our case doesn’t constitute “criminal action” in Indiana. My members, many of whom are elderly and disabled victims, are in shock.
The FBI and Postal authorities presented hard core evidence of criminal action by this company. Mr. Morrison has decided it’s not worth his time to pursue the case. This is unacceptable to our authors from this country and other countries who are victims of one of the largest predatory publishing scams in American history.
I am appealing to you as an elected official of Indiana to ask Mr. Morrison to reverse his decision. I will be coming to Indiana from my home in Philadelphia with other victims in June to present him with petitions from our group. As a result of the inaction of your state government, another company, Jones Harvest Publishing in Bloomington, IN, has set up a second publishing scam and has robbed hundreds of authors of their money. Brien Jones, the owner, was the Executive Vice President of Airleaf who left in 2007 to set up his own scam. You can see that site at www.JonesHarvestFraudVictims.com. This decision by Mr. Morrison only allows crooks like this to keep stealing money from honest and vulnerable people.
We plan to make this a national publicity campaign if we can’t find justice in your state. Please help us. Some of our authors are your constituents, and you owe it to them to fight against this injustice.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Bonkaye@aol.com or call me at 215-288-6959.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Kaye, M.Ed.
Out of the 89 letters I sent, two state reps responded to date telling me that it is not the job of the state senators and representatives to handle this. I guess in Indiana, it isn't anyone's job.
I wrote a letter to my predatory publishing guru, Victoria Strauss, of Writer Beware! asking for her support in having other authors send petitions to express their support of our case. Victoria was very gracious, as always, in printing my letter in her blog yesterday. You can read it here:
Writer Beware Blogs!
I have had six authors respond already stating they will sign petitions to support us. Therefore, I will have a second petition for authors who are not part of our Airleaf group who want to support our cause. When I speak in Connecticut next month about predatory publishing at the CAPA University event, I will ask authors to sign the support petition.
I believe that if we stand up together, we can make a change in this wrongful decision. If we don't stand up, we will be known as "victims" in history. If we fight back, we will be remembered as "victors." We are a group of winners--and we will show this to the government of Indiana.
With love and hope,
Bonnie
This is a short update to keep you posted on our activity. After sending out the update last week of our rejection by Timothy Morrison to consider Airleaf's action a "crime" in Indiana, 128 of you responded to date that you will sign a petition to request the reversal of that decision, and 53 of you sent me a notice that you emailed Mr. Morrison to voice your objection to his decision. If you haven't had time to respond to the petition, please drop me a note as soon as possible so I can add you to our list. If you haven't sent your message to Mr. Morrison, please take a moment to do so at USAINS.Webmaster@usdoj.gov, The more of us who stand up, the more powerful our case will be.
On Tuesday, I will send out a press release to the Indiana news media about our case. I will announce the launching of my new site www.IndianaWelcomesCrooks.com which you can now click into and read. I have also had our Airleaf Victims website with your stories redesigned to look more professional. You can view it at www.AirleafVictims.com. I want to make sure that our message is heard loud and clear.
Last Sunday, I sent a letter to the 83 state legislators in Indiana. In addition, I sent the letter to the Governor's office, the Senators and Congressmen. It stated:
Dear (Indiana Legislator),
My name is Bonnie Kaye. I am the organizer of the Airleaf Victims group which can be seen at www.AirleafVictims.com. There are over 600 authors in our organization who were defrauded of over 2 million dollars by Airleaf Publishing in Martinsville, Indiana until we forced it to close through stopping its cash flow by exposing its fraudulence. In spite of our pleas for help to the agencies in your state which are there to protect people from consumer fraud, no action was taken to stop the company from operating until after the fact. Last May, your Attorney General handed down a half-million dollar judgment against the company from a cohort of 120 of our authors. The owner, Carl Lau, is declaring bankruptcy, so there will be no restitution. We pushed for retribution by requesting this man be punished for criminal charges. For 18 months, I worked with the FBI and Postal authorities presenting case after case of criminal action on Airleaf's part. On Friday, I was informed by the FBI that your U.S. Attorney, Timothy Morrison, has decided that our case doesn’t constitute “criminal action” in Indiana. My members, many of whom are elderly and disabled victims, are in shock.
The FBI and Postal authorities presented hard core evidence of criminal action by this company. Mr. Morrison has decided it’s not worth his time to pursue the case. This is unacceptable to our authors from this country and other countries who are victims of one of the largest predatory publishing scams in American history.
I am appealing to you as an elected official of Indiana to ask Mr. Morrison to reverse his decision. I will be coming to Indiana from my home in Philadelphia with other victims in June to present him with petitions from our group. As a result of the inaction of your state government, another company, Jones Harvest Publishing in Bloomington, IN, has set up a second publishing scam and has robbed hundreds of authors of their money. Brien Jones, the owner, was the Executive Vice President of Airleaf who left in 2007 to set up his own scam. You can see that site at www.JonesHarvestFraudVictims.com. This decision by Mr. Morrison only allows crooks like this to keep stealing money from honest and vulnerable people.
We plan to make this a national publicity campaign if we can’t find justice in your state. Please help us. Some of our authors are your constituents, and you owe it to them to fight against this injustice.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Bonkaye@aol.com or call me at 215-288-6959.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Kaye, M.Ed.
Out of the 89 letters I sent, two state reps responded to date telling me that it is not the job of the state senators and representatives to handle this. I guess in Indiana, it isn't anyone's job.
I wrote a letter to my predatory publishing guru, Victoria Strauss, of Writer Beware! asking for her support in having other authors send petitions to express their support of our case. Victoria was very gracious, as always, in printing my letter in her blog yesterday. You can read it here:
Writer Beware Blogs!
I have had six authors respond already stating they will sign petitions to support us. Therefore, I will have a second petition for authors who are not part of our Airleaf group who want to support our cause. When I speak in Connecticut next month about predatory publishing at the CAPA University event, I will ask authors to sign the support petition.
I believe that if we stand up together, we can make a change in this wrongful decision. If we don't stand up, we will be known as "victims" in history. If we fight back, we will be remembered as "victors." We are a group of winners--and we will show this to the government of Indiana.
With love and hope,
Bonnie
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
HORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD
Hooray for Hollywood
Well, Hollywood is revving up for the Indiana Jones family. They are going to Hollywood one more time to give vulnerable authors false hopes that a blockbuster movie could be made from one of their books. Usually on these trips, they pack up the family as you can see on the website under the ‘Hollywood” button. It’s sort of like the Clampetts do Hollywood. There’s Brien and Brandy, Brien’s mom, cousin, and daughter. Well, at least it’s a family affair, although I hesitate in using the term “affair” loosely when I speak of Brien and Hollywood.
Anyway, this year’s offer is different than last year’s. Last year, the letter started with “Hollywood For Real.” It stated that “no one is making a movie out of one of our books—not yet. However, we have made three trips to Hollywood and we are closer than any other self publisher has ever been.” Now that’s really remarkable, I must say. I say that because it is now a year later and they are still no closer now than they were a year ago to getting anyone’s book turned into a movie. Even though I was assured by the author of “Rock with Rodney and Party with Perky” that Brien Jones had found four producers interested in her movies, so far, not one taker. Perhaps that’s why the “revised version” of the book has been “under production” for the past five months on his website because it’s now been extended to add a new concept on the cover: Bush’s anti-environmental report. When the author told me about the four productions companies that Jones had interested last summer, I checked them on the Internet and didn’t have any luck in finding them. Me of little faith, right? So then I called the man who is the organizer of the event and asked him if those companies attended, and he said he never heard of them either. When I reported the findings back to the author in hopes that she would wake up to the scam, she blasted me by posting on Brien’s blog that she spoke to the companies herself. That was different than her original story of telling me that Brien Jones gave her the name of the companies. But you know how it goes in Hollywood—fiction is always a big hit.
In last year’s offer, authors were promised that they would have their book, as well as their picture, featured on a site called “booktopictures.com.” When I checked out that website, it didn’t exist; however, it did redirect me to a site called “bootypictures.com.” All of this was available for “just $350.00.” But there was so much more! For a mere $500.00 additional dollars, they were willing to submit your book to one of two Hollywood producers and provide you with a resume and contact information for both executives. I think those of us who survived the Airleaf scandal will remember the kinds of producers the books were submitted to. They ranged from companies like Litestone Entertainment headed by Al Smith which lied about producing 30 books into movies, including his trailer that never became a book “Jessie’s Girl” to a company called Cinemagic which magically disappeared back to Japan. Ask me if I believe that there are not hundreds of scam artist producers waiting in Hollywood for vulnerable authors to shell out money. I’ve already spoken to half a dozen of them while fighting for our author victims. Anyway, that deal must have gone sour because it’s not even being offered this year.
And now Jones Harvest is offering to turn authors’ books into screenplays for free. One of my Airleaf author victims said Brien called her and offered to turn her book into a screenplay for free. This way it might sell better to the film people.
Remarkably, hundreds of emails went out to our Airleaf victims this past week from Jones Harvest offering to sell their books for free. In this letter, Jones states:
No charge, no obligation. No strings attached. I'll put the book on our websites today and even make a few calls. If you send me books, I’ll try to put them in stores. (Again, no charge, no obligation.)
All you have to do is send me a copy or copies of your book or email me the cover. I worked at Airleaf Publishing through 2006, (they closed in 2008) and I just want to help out if I can.
http://www.myauthorspace.com/
http://www.jonesharvest.com/
http://www.starredreview.com/
http://www.authorgifts.com/
http://www.bookwheat.com/
http://www.myauthorprofile.com/
http://www.brienjones.com/
He did manage to leave out some of his other untraveled sites like Great Concept Books, Bargain Basement Books (doesn’t that sound uplifting?), Author Soldier, and his two Christian sites, Perfect Heart and Chosen Few. I keep reminding people that the only one who views those sites is me—trying to reach unsuspecting authors of the outrageous scam they are part of for thousands of dollars.
This short statement in itself was a lie. Brien was trying to put a two-year wedge between his leaving Airleaf and the close of Airleaf. Jones left in the beginning of 2007, and Airleaf closed 11 months later in December of 2007. Actually it was the same year. But that’s Brien Jones—trying to mislead the public again.
I sent out a email blast to my list of over 500 Airleaf victims warning them about working with the King of Con. To say the Brien Jones doesn’t do anything for free is truly an understatement. Brien Jones doesn’t do much for people who pay him thousands of dollars. Look at all the authors that paid him money to be featured in a color catalogue to be given out at the book fairs. There was no catalogue. And when they asked him back for their money, he told them that he doesn’t have money. And why doesn’t he have money? Not because he can’t keep fooling the same victims who were taken once or twice because they realize that they are donating to the Jones family charity and want to redirect their contributions. Not because he screwed so many printers that they won’t print for him anymore. Not because his production and sales crew quit because of his fraudulence. Not because people don’t get their books after waiting for a year or two or have to send back galley after galley. No—he’s broke because of Bonnie Kaye. He can’t afford to publish his books but he can afford to pay for a website called “Bonnie Kaye Lies” where he puts his blog letters of support from five or six authors on there along with his own commentaries libeling me. But what he forgets is that I am doing this work out of a mission to protect our authors who put their money, hopes, and dreams into a con game, not to make money. I have never accepted a dime from an author even though many have offered to support my efforts. He can’t hurt me. I don’t offer anything but the truth and help to authors. On the other hand, I am hurting him by telling the truth. This is why I now have 63 verified complaints about the tens of thousands of dollars that authors have lost and will never see again. You see, in the end, the truth speaks for itself. When authors receive royalty checks once a year for $1.35 or $6.25 after investing so much money, they know that what I speak is the truth. It doesn’t matter how many of the Jones Harvest websites these authors are featured on—no one is looking except me as I mentioned earlier.
Lee Goldberg, the renowned author and columnist, stated in a blog last week written by Victoria Strauss, my predatory publishing guru, about the Hollywood scam that his gardener has more contacts with Hollywood executives because at least he mows the lawns for some of them. If you want to shell out money, maybe we can ask the gardener to drop off your book while he’s at one of these jobs. He is actually closer to them than the Jones Harvest family team will ever be.
Well, Hollywood is revving up for the Indiana Jones family. They are going to Hollywood one more time to give vulnerable authors false hopes that a blockbuster movie could be made from one of their books. Usually on these trips, they pack up the family as you can see on the website under the ‘Hollywood” button. It’s sort of like the Clampetts do Hollywood. There’s Brien and Brandy, Brien’s mom, cousin, and daughter. Well, at least it’s a family affair, although I hesitate in using the term “affair” loosely when I speak of Brien and Hollywood.
Anyway, this year’s offer is different than last year’s. Last year, the letter started with “Hollywood For Real.” It stated that “no one is making a movie out of one of our books—not yet. However, we have made three trips to Hollywood and we are closer than any other self publisher has ever been.” Now that’s really remarkable, I must say. I say that because it is now a year later and they are still no closer now than they were a year ago to getting anyone’s book turned into a movie. Even though I was assured by the author of “Rock with Rodney and Party with Perky” that Brien Jones had found four producers interested in her movies, so far, not one taker. Perhaps that’s why the “revised version” of the book has been “under production” for the past five months on his website because it’s now been extended to add a new concept on the cover: Bush’s anti-environmental report. When the author told me about the four productions companies that Jones had interested last summer, I checked them on the Internet and didn’t have any luck in finding them. Me of little faith, right? So then I called the man who is the organizer of the event and asked him if those companies attended, and he said he never heard of them either. When I reported the findings back to the author in hopes that she would wake up to the scam, she blasted me by posting on Brien’s blog that she spoke to the companies herself. That was different than her original story of telling me that Brien Jones gave her the name of the companies. But you know how it goes in Hollywood—fiction is always a big hit.
In last year’s offer, authors were promised that they would have their book, as well as their picture, featured on a site called “booktopictures.com.” When I checked out that website, it didn’t exist; however, it did redirect me to a site called “bootypictures.com.” All of this was available for “just $350.00.” But there was so much more! For a mere $500.00 additional dollars, they were willing to submit your book to one of two Hollywood producers and provide you with a resume and contact information for both executives. I think those of us who survived the Airleaf scandal will remember the kinds of producers the books were submitted to. They ranged from companies like Litestone Entertainment headed by Al Smith which lied about producing 30 books into movies, including his trailer that never became a book “Jessie’s Girl” to a company called Cinemagic which magically disappeared back to Japan. Ask me if I believe that there are not hundreds of scam artist producers waiting in Hollywood for vulnerable authors to shell out money. I’ve already spoken to half a dozen of them while fighting for our author victims. Anyway, that deal must have gone sour because it’s not even being offered this year.
And now Jones Harvest is offering to turn authors’ books into screenplays for free. One of my Airleaf author victims said Brien called her and offered to turn her book into a screenplay for free. This way it might sell better to the film people.
Remarkably, hundreds of emails went out to our Airleaf victims this past week from Jones Harvest offering to sell their books for free. In this letter, Jones states:
No charge, no obligation. No strings attached. I'll put the book on our websites today and even make a few calls. If you send me books, I’ll try to put them in stores. (Again, no charge, no obligation.)
All you have to do is send me a copy or copies of your book or email me the cover. I worked at Airleaf Publishing through 2006, (they closed in 2008) and I just want to help out if I can.
http://www.myauthorspace.com/
http://www.jonesharvest.com/
http://www.starredreview.com/
http://www.authorgifts.com/
http://www.bookwheat.com/
http://www.myauthorprofile.com/
http://www.brienjones.com/
He did manage to leave out some of his other untraveled sites like Great Concept Books, Bargain Basement Books (doesn’t that sound uplifting?), Author Soldier, and his two Christian sites, Perfect Heart and Chosen Few. I keep reminding people that the only one who views those sites is me—trying to reach unsuspecting authors of the outrageous scam they are part of for thousands of dollars.
This short statement in itself was a lie. Brien was trying to put a two-year wedge between his leaving Airleaf and the close of Airleaf. Jones left in the beginning of 2007, and Airleaf closed 11 months later in December of 2007. Actually it was the same year. But that’s Brien Jones—trying to mislead the public again.
I sent out a email blast to my list of over 500 Airleaf victims warning them about working with the King of Con. To say the Brien Jones doesn’t do anything for free is truly an understatement. Brien Jones doesn’t do much for people who pay him thousands of dollars. Look at all the authors that paid him money to be featured in a color catalogue to be given out at the book fairs. There was no catalogue. And when they asked him back for their money, he told them that he doesn’t have money. And why doesn’t he have money? Not because he can’t keep fooling the same victims who were taken once or twice because they realize that they are donating to the Jones family charity and want to redirect their contributions. Not because he screwed so many printers that they won’t print for him anymore. Not because his production and sales crew quit because of his fraudulence. Not because people don’t get their books after waiting for a year or two or have to send back galley after galley. No—he’s broke because of Bonnie Kaye. He can’t afford to publish his books but he can afford to pay for a website called “Bonnie Kaye Lies” where he puts his blog letters of support from five or six authors on there along with his own commentaries libeling me. But what he forgets is that I am doing this work out of a mission to protect our authors who put their money, hopes, and dreams into a con game, not to make money. I have never accepted a dime from an author even though many have offered to support my efforts. He can’t hurt me. I don’t offer anything but the truth and help to authors. On the other hand, I am hurting him by telling the truth. This is why I now have 63 verified complaints about the tens of thousands of dollars that authors have lost and will never see again. You see, in the end, the truth speaks for itself. When authors receive royalty checks once a year for $1.35 or $6.25 after investing so much money, they know that what I speak is the truth. It doesn’t matter how many of the Jones Harvest websites these authors are featured on—no one is looking except me as I mentioned earlier.
Lee Goldberg, the renowned author and columnist, stated in a blog last week written by Victoria Strauss, my predatory publishing guru, about the Hollywood scam that his gardener has more contacts with Hollywood executives because at least he mows the lawns for some of them. If you want to shell out money, maybe we can ask the gardener to drop off your book while he’s at one of these jobs. He is actually closer to them than the Jones Harvest family team will ever be.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
THE POWER OF THE BLOGGERS!
Last week when Brien Jones wrote his usual blog attacking me and my imaginary “lies,” he made the major mistake of attacking some of the most prominent people in the business of exposing predatory publishing. In his usual irrational, sociopathic manner, he threw in the names of Victoria Strauss, Lee Goldberg, and Julie Neidlinger berating them in an effort to defend himself. This was a major mistake for him because he publicly exposed himself to be the erratic, irrational, and desperate man that he is. Each of these people he attacked quickly wrote blogs in disgust and to set the record straight. And these are people who matter in the world of writing where Brien Jones doesn’t matter to any reliable and credible source in the publishing world.
I guess the power of the bloggers really hurt him because that post has now quickly disappeared from his blog. Now on his blog are a few of his defenders and attackers of “Bonnie Kaye,” so let’s see what rewards have been bestowed upon them for coming to Brien’s defense at the expense, at times, of defaming me.
The list of Jones supporters who attack me personally in the blog are Carol Fosdick, Patty Harlow, D. H. Gauvey, and even though not directly, indirectly Nancy Bauser. Is it any wonder how they now show up on the cover page of JH, with Nancy Bauser listed as “Author of the Year,” Carol Fosdick as “Best New Fiction,” and Patty Harlow on the front page of the website (although her listing has gone from the original second row when her letter appeared to the last row) and also featured on the front page of Author Celebrities. D. H. Gauvey was moved up to the first page of “Author Celebrities” when his letter came out, but now has faded to the second page. I guess he needs an updated attack letter.
Other supporters of JH, not quite attackers of me, but supporters on the blog include Alfred McCroskey of “Bibles for Russia”—now on the first row of Author Celebrities and the JH website, and Gerry Edwards on the cover page as a Best Selling Author. Well, actually Edward’s books do sell, so at least that’s most likely the truth. It’s doubtful that any JH authors are selling more than Edwards because according to their royalty checks that range on the average from a dollar and change to six dollars and change, he stands a chance of actually claiming that title.
On the other hand, poor Noriaki Osada is listed as a “Best Seller of 2008” for Jones Harvest. Mr. Osada, a victim of the Jones Harvest Fraud in tune to the amount of $7,000.00. For that money, Mr. Osada was promised three author reviews by real reviewers as opposed to Brien Jones and his nephew Tim, both of his books taken to the Book Fairs as opposed to just one of them, and the usual undone deeds guaranteed to make him a celebrity. It makes you wonder why the “Best Seller” is a man who has received a total of $40.00 in royalty checks—last year—but nothing this year. Sad, isn’t it? And let that be a lesson—if the best seller has received $40.00, is it any wonder that most people have never received anything? This is so typical of the misleading and fraudulent services offered by Jones Harvest. Mr. Osada, a fine and proud man from Japan, has a limited understanding of the English language, and like others in his position, it’s easy to take advantage of him.
But getting back to my original point, I have a great idea for the JH authors who are looking for prominent positioning on his numerous websites that are read by...well, mostly me checking him out. If you want to be a “Celebrity” or “Starred Author,” or even be part of the “Bargain Basement” books (whatever that means), you don’t have to cough up thousands of dollars as you’ve done in the past. Just write a nasty letter about Bonnie Kaye and you’re sure to get prominence. Since I am looking to save you money, you have my permission to make up whatever attacks you want about me because that seems to get front page exposure. In fact, if you need help in making up lies about me, just drop me a note and I’ll be sure to think of some new ones. The old ones about blackmailing Jones into publishing books for free for me and my friends, owning a publishing company, and making money from authors is really growing old.
I guess the power of the bloggers really hurt him because that post has now quickly disappeared from his blog. Now on his blog are a few of his defenders and attackers of “Bonnie Kaye,” so let’s see what rewards have been bestowed upon them for coming to Brien’s defense at the expense, at times, of defaming me.
The list of Jones supporters who attack me personally in the blog are Carol Fosdick, Patty Harlow, D. H. Gauvey, and even though not directly, indirectly Nancy Bauser. Is it any wonder how they now show up on the cover page of JH, with Nancy Bauser listed as “Author of the Year,” Carol Fosdick as “Best New Fiction,” and Patty Harlow on the front page of the website (although her listing has gone from the original second row when her letter appeared to the last row) and also featured on the front page of Author Celebrities. D. H. Gauvey was moved up to the first page of “Author Celebrities” when his letter came out, but now has faded to the second page. I guess he needs an updated attack letter.
Other supporters of JH, not quite attackers of me, but supporters on the blog include Alfred McCroskey of “Bibles for Russia”—now on the first row of Author Celebrities and the JH website, and Gerry Edwards on the cover page as a Best Selling Author. Well, actually Edward’s books do sell, so at least that’s most likely the truth. It’s doubtful that any JH authors are selling more than Edwards because according to their royalty checks that range on the average from a dollar and change to six dollars and change, he stands a chance of actually claiming that title.
On the other hand, poor Noriaki Osada is listed as a “Best Seller of 2008” for Jones Harvest. Mr. Osada, a victim of the Jones Harvest Fraud in tune to the amount of $7,000.00. For that money, Mr. Osada was promised three author reviews by real reviewers as opposed to Brien Jones and his nephew Tim, both of his books taken to the Book Fairs as opposed to just one of them, and the usual undone deeds guaranteed to make him a celebrity. It makes you wonder why the “Best Seller” is a man who has received a total of $40.00 in royalty checks—last year—but nothing this year. Sad, isn’t it? And let that be a lesson—if the best seller has received $40.00, is it any wonder that most people have never received anything? This is so typical of the misleading and fraudulent services offered by Jones Harvest. Mr. Osada, a fine and proud man from Japan, has a limited understanding of the English language, and like others in his position, it’s easy to take advantage of him.
But getting back to my original point, I have a great idea for the JH authors who are looking for prominent positioning on his numerous websites that are read by...well, mostly me checking him out. If you want to be a “Celebrity” or “Starred Author,” or even be part of the “Bargain Basement” books (whatever that means), you don’t have to cough up thousands of dollars as you’ve done in the past. Just write a nasty letter about Bonnie Kaye and you’re sure to get prominence. Since I am looking to save you money, you have my permission to make up whatever attacks you want about me because that seems to get front page exposure. In fact, if you need help in making up lies about me, just drop me a note and I’ll be sure to think of some new ones. The old ones about blackmailing Jones into publishing books for free for me and my friends, owning a publishing company, and making money from authors is really growing old.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
WHEN A RAT IS GETTING TRAPPED IN A MAZE...
Brien Jones is a desperate man. His new attacks on me and the other truth sayers show he is trapped like a rat in a maze. His distortions and lies are typical of his methods of operating in life. So let me set the record straight about his latest attack.
Jones states:
I thought I understood Bonnie Kaye’s lies completely. (I have BOXES of her hateful books, after all.) With Bonnie Kaye it’s all about the money and always has been. It’s also came as no surprise that Bonnie Kaye prefers the women that worked at Airleaf when it closed to the man that left 18 months earlier. Now I’m the mastermind of Airleaf? You decided that two years later?
I have no idea what he is referring to in this paragraph. Since I have not had to lie about anything, I’m not sure which lies he can understand. If Brien has boxes of my hateful books, he must be secretly reprinting them because I have no idea why he would have them. I’m not sure which “women” he is referring to at Airleaf when it closed. And as far as leaving 18 months earlier, Jones is on record of leaving on January 19, 2007, less than a year before the close of Airleaf. In a letter sent to me and many of the other authors on January 30, 2007, he states: Despite what you may have heard, Friday, January 19th, 2007 I resigned my position at Airleaf Publishing. As far as being the mastermind of Airleaf, well, he was. He was the one who thought of all the grand schemes to make people “celebrities” if they were willing to depart with their money. If you look at the promotions printed by Airleaf and the promotions printed by Jones Harvest, the only real difference is the logo.
I really thought I had Bonnie Kaye figured out. For example, the day she shook me and my company down I reserved the domain name Jonesharvestvictims.com. I saw THAT coming a mile away. That’s why her attack site is jonesharvestfraudvictims.com—quite a mouth-full. When Bonnie Kaye ordered me to publish her and her friend’s books for free I already knew how it would end. Bonnie Kaye would eventually figure out how to make even more money.
Brien Jones keeps saying I shook him down or blackmailed him into printing books for 30 people for free. How could I have “ordered” Brien Jones to do anything? What kind of power did I have to “blackmail” him? He asked me in May of 2007 if he could take my book Straight Wives: Shattered Lives and republish it for free and leave Airleaf. I accepted his offer as did some of his other friends and disillusioned Airleaf authors whom he republished. In return, I allowed him to showcase me in his Author Celebrities and other bogus sites for 3 months until I asked him to stop publishing my books because I went with a different publisher whom I preferred to pay for publishing services because I saw the handwriting on the wall, and I didn’t want to be associated with it. I did ask him to do a good deed and republish the book of a young dying man who had been scammed by Airleaf for eight thousand dollars. I told him it would be good karma to do something to show he was trying to help authors. Short of that, anyone printed for free was his way of stealing Airleaf authors to start his own business. I have no doubt that he published some of his friends’ books for free because I know who they are. But they were his friends—not mine. The one friend I referred to Jones Harvest in June of 2007 paid for her publishing services like everyone else.
However I underestimated just how nasty Bonnie Kaye could be. I never would have guessed she’d confront my wife at the Brooklyn book show, or insult my Mother in a letter to all my clients - my Mother for God’s sake! Both women were genuinely hurt. I thought Bonnie Kaye championed all women. I hope Bonnie Kaye understands why I don’t tell her which school my daughter attends.
Now as far as confronting his wife Brandie at the Brooklyn show, that is not the case. In fact, a free-lance reporter who was there will verify that for you. Luckily I have his contact information and called him to “relive” the moment when Brandy walked up to me as I was viewing the booths at the Brooklyn book show and handing out information about my Jones Harvest victims group to help divert new victims from being sucked in. I had several interviews that day, and this reporter was following me to do a story when Brandie came up to me and asked if I was Bonnie Kaye. She said she recognized me from television. I told her I recognized her from the Jones Harvest website. She confronted me and asked me why I was trying to destroy her and her husband’s business. I told her the truth—I was only trying to get what they promised people. I explained to Brandie that people were paying for services they never received. She seemed quite surprised. She said that if I have authors who have complaints she would personally take care of them and refund their money. However, when I gave the authors that information and they called her, it was a run-around as usual or Brandie justifying all the work Jones Harvest did for them even if they didn’t do anything for them. At the end of our lengthy conversation, I offered to be there for Brandie on a personal level, and we both hugged goodbye. If you need verification of that, the reporter will be happy to provide it. He even has a picture of it. As far as attacking Brien’s mother, I just state that she works at Jones Harvest. That is not an attack.
I also understand cowardly women like Victoria Strauss, Julie Neidlinger and Lee Goldberg and their lies. After all they’re not saying anything bad — just repeating what they were told. And what do you know! They all have their own publishing companies too! I won’t say which publishing companies (here’s another new word for the idiot Ken Pullen, “Actionable”) but you can figure it out in less than 30 seconds yourself.
I’m not sure what publishing companies Victoria, Julie, and Lee have. By the way, Lee is a man, not a woman. And as far as Ken Pullen being an idiot—well, Jones is just upset because it’s hard to fight the truth and the facts. Victoria, Julie, and Lee have been instrumental in exposing predatory publishing and publicity scams to warn writers about scam artists—like Jones Harvest. Victoria is my predatory publishing guru. I am in awe of her and her work to stop publishing fraudulence. What can any of their motivations be other than warning authors? No one is making money from telling the truth about Jones Harvest—especially me.
The people I don’t understand are the people that used to work for me. Those betrayals don’t make any sense at all. I wonder what kind of mental acrobatics those people have to do to somehow turn me into a villain. What, I didn’t pay you enough? I didn’t loan you enough? I didn’t take you on enough trips? I didn’t bail you out enough? What? Are you telling me that you had an inalienable right to get paid to sit at home?
The key word here is people that “used” to work for Jones Harvest. If all of his employees except one have left, what does that tell you? Very simply they were sick of the fraudulence and lies they were put in a position to keep telling authors.
Well I have news for my former employees, Bonnie Kaye, Victoria Strauss, Julie Neidlinger and Lee Goldberg. We’re not going anywhere. Nobody is investigating us. Bonnie Kaye has contacted all of our clients and her 50 “victims” actually total 3. The Better Business Bureau has already ruled in our favor in all three cases.
As far as nobody investigating Jones Harvest, that is not the case at all. I tell people not to bother with the Better Business Bureau because they are totally ineffective. Even when Airleaf was getting ready to close and over 100 complaints were filed, they still gave Airleaf a positive rating. This was six months after the Attorney General had filed an order against Airleaf. If you pay dues to the Better Business Bureau, it takes a mountain to move their molehill. However, I am having the authors file complaints with the appropriate government officials who will take the necessary steps to stop the fraudulence. It takes time, but it does happen. Just like Airleaf had a judgment filed against it by the State of Indiana, no doubt Jones Harvest is moving in the same direction.
Sure Bonnie Kaye, it shouldn’t take more than 90 days to publish a book. That is unless you don’t read it, charge for corrections, use print-on-demand and take on one new client per month. Otherwise it can take longer.
Actually, most reputable publishing companies complete books in less time than 90 days. According to your former staff, you never read the books. How many of your authors have received repeated galleys that were incorrect time after time? Plenty of them. I’ve had authors tell me that they just signed the galleys after three and four rounds because they needed to get their books out. I’m not sure which company you are referring to that has one new client per month, but that’s typical of not knowing what you are referring to in most of your attacks.
Here’s something I have that you never will. Last week we received more than $600 from a large bookstore chain that starts with a “B”. (The only reason I don’t say which bookstore chain is I know that Bonnie Kaye would call them instantly as she has our other bookstore clients.) Do you people ever get those? I didn’t think so.
It's true I did call the one book store that Jones Harvest advertises on their site showing a rack of books from their company to verify that books were actually in a store. The store, Books 'N More told me that the books had been removed in July of 2008. As far as receiving $600.00 from a large bookstore chain, that’s great. That can pay someone’s salary for the week. I am sure your family will be happy.
Brien Jones has blamed me for all of his failures. And now he has a convenient scapegoat. He plays on authors’ sympathies for his non-completion of their work by blaming me. He claims it’s due to me that he doesn’t have workers, printers, money, and business. He might be able to blame me for business, but he needs to be honest with himself about his workers, printers, and money. He bemoans to his authors that he is almost bankrupt which is why he can't return their money for bogus promotions like a catalogue that was supposed to go to the book fairs but was never published. So while it's true that he may be staying in business, it doesn't change the fact that authors are paying for something that doesn't happen and won't happen.
Jones states:
I thought I understood Bonnie Kaye’s lies completely. (I have BOXES of her hateful books, after all.) With Bonnie Kaye it’s all about the money and always has been. It’s also came as no surprise that Bonnie Kaye prefers the women that worked at Airleaf when it closed to the man that left 18 months earlier. Now I’m the mastermind of Airleaf? You decided that two years later?
I have no idea what he is referring to in this paragraph. Since I have not had to lie about anything, I’m not sure which lies he can understand. If Brien has boxes of my hateful books, he must be secretly reprinting them because I have no idea why he would have them. I’m not sure which “women” he is referring to at Airleaf when it closed. And as far as leaving 18 months earlier, Jones is on record of leaving on January 19, 2007, less than a year before the close of Airleaf. In a letter sent to me and many of the other authors on January 30, 2007, he states: Despite what you may have heard, Friday, January 19th, 2007 I resigned my position at Airleaf Publishing. As far as being the mastermind of Airleaf, well, he was. He was the one who thought of all the grand schemes to make people “celebrities” if they were willing to depart with their money. If you look at the promotions printed by Airleaf and the promotions printed by Jones Harvest, the only real difference is the logo.
I really thought I had Bonnie Kaye figured out. For example, the day she shook me and my company down I reserved the domain name Jonesharvestvictims.com. I saw THAT coming a mile away. That’s why her attack site is jonesharvestfraudvictims.com—quite a mouth-full. When Bonnie Kaye ordered me to publish her and her friend’s books for free I already knew how it would end. Bonnie Kaye would eventually figure out how to make even more money.
Brien Jones keeps saying I shook him down or blackmailed him into printing books for 30 people for free. How could I have “ordered” Brien Jones to do anything? What kind of power did I have to “blackmail” him? He asked me in May of 2007 if he could take my book Straight Wives: Shattered Lives and republish it for free and leave Airleaf. I accepted his offer as did some of his other friends and disillusioned Airleaf authors whom he republished. In return, I allowed him to showcase me in his Author Celebrities and other bogus sites for 3 months until I asked him to stop publishing my books because I went with a different publisher whom I preferred to pay for publishing services because I saw the handwriting on the wall, and I didn’t want to be associated with it. I did ask him to do a good deed and republish the book of a young dying man who had been scammed by Airleaf for eight thousand dollars. I told him it would be good karma to do something to show he was trying to help authors. Short of that, anyone printed for free was his way of stealing Airleaf authors to start his own business. I have no doubt that he published some of his friends’ books for free because I know who they are. But they were his friends—not mine. The one friend I referred to Jones Harvest in June of 2007 paid for her publishing services like everyone else.
However I underestimated just how nasty Bonnie Kaye could be. I never would have guessed she’d confront my wife at the Brooklyn book show, or insult my Mother in a letter to all my clients - my Mother for God’s sake! Both women were genuinely hurt. I thought Bonnie Kaye championed all women. I hope Bonnie Kaye understands why I don’t tell her which school my daughter attends.
Now as far as confronting his wife Brandie at the Brooklyn show, that is not the case. In fact, a free-lance reporter who was there will verify that for you. Luckily I have his contact information and called him to “relive” the moment when Brandy walked up to me as I was viewing the booths at the Brooklyn book show and handing out information about my Jones Harvest victims group to help divert new victims from being sucked in. I had several interviews that day, and this reporter was following me to do a story when Brandie came up to me and asked if I was Bonnie Kaye. She said she recognized me from television. I told her I recognized her from the Jones Harvest website. She confronted me and asked me why I was trying to destroy her and her husband’s business. I told her the truth—I was only trying to get what they promised people. I explained to Brandie that people were paying for services they never received. She seemed quite surprised. She said that if I have authors who have complaints she would personally take care of them and refund their money. However, when I gave the authors that information and they called her, it was a run-around as usual or Brandie justifying all the work Jones Harvest did for them even if they didn’t do anything for them. At the end of our lengthy conversation, I offered to be there for Brandie on a personal level, and we both hugged goodbye. If you need verification of that, the reporter will be happy to provide it. He even has a picture of it. As far as attacking Brien’s mother, I just state that she works at Jones Harvest. That is not an attack.
I also understand cowardly women like Victoria Strauss, Julie Neidlinger and Lee Goldberg and their lies. After all they’re not saying anything bad — just repeating what they were told. And what do you know! They all have their own publishing companies too! I won’t say which publishing companies (here’s another new word for the idiot Ken Pullen, “Actionable”) but you can figure it out in less than 30 seconds yourself.
I’m not sure what publishing companies Victoria, Julie, and Lee have. By the way, Lee is a man, not a woman. And as far as Ken Pullen being an idiot—well, Jones is just upset because it’s hard to fight the truth and the facts. Victoria, Julie, and Lee have been instrumental in exposing predatory publishing and publicity scams to warn writers about scam artists—like Jones Harvest. Victoria is my predatory publishing guru. I am in awe of her and her work to stop publishing fraudulence. What can any of their motivations be other than warning authors? No one is making money from telling the truth about Jones Harvest—especially me.
The people I don’t understand are the people that used to work for me. Those betrayals don’t make any sense at all. I wonder what kind of mental acrobatics those people have to do to somehow turn me into a villain. What, I didn’t pay you enough? I didn’t loan you enough? I didn’t take you on enough trips? I didn’t bail you out enough? What? Are you telling me that you had an inalienable right to get paid to sit at home?
The key word here is people that “used” to work for Jones Harvest. If all of his employees except one have left, what does that tell you? Very simply they were sick of the fraudulence and lies they were put in a position to keep telling authors.
Well I have news for my former employees, Bonnie Kaye, Victoria Strauss, Julie Neidlinger and Lee Goldberg. We’re not going anywhere. Nobody is investigating us. Bonnie Kaye has contacted all of our clients and her 50 “victims” actually total 3. The Better Business Bureau has already ruled in our favor in all three cases.
As far as nobody investigating Jones Harvest, that is not the case at all. I tell people not to bother with the Better Business Bureau because they are totally ineffective. Even when Airleaf was getting ready to close and over 100 complaints were filed, they still gave Airleaf a positive rating. This was six months after the Attorney General had filed an order against Airleaf. If you pay dues to the Better Business Bureau, it takes a mountain to move their molehill. However, I am having the authors file complaints with the appropriate government officials who will take the necessary steps to stop the fraudulence. It takes time, but it does happen. Just like Airleaf had a judgment filed against it by the State of Indiana, no doubt Jones Harvest is moving in the same direction.
Sure Bonnie Kaye, it shouldn’t take more than 90 days to publish a book. That is unless you don’t read it, charge for corrections, use print-on-demand and take on one new client per month. Otherwise it can take longer.
Actually, most reputable publishing companies complete books in less time than 90 days. According to your former staff, you never read the books. How many of your authors have received repeated galleys that were incorrect time after time? Plenty of them. I’ve had authors tell me that they just signed the galleys after three and four rounds because they needed to get their books out. I’m not sure which company you are referring to that has one new client per month, but that’s typical of not knowing what you are referring to in most of your attacks.
Here’s something I have that you never will. Last week we received more than $600 from a large bookstore chain that starts with a “B”. (The only reason I don’t say which bookstore chain is I know that Bonnie Kaye would call them instantly as she has our other bookstore clients.) Do you people ever get those? I didn’t think so.
It's true I did call the one book store that Jones Harvest advertises on their site showing a rack of books from their company to verify that books were actually in a store. The store, Books 'N More told me that the books had been removed in July of 2008. As far as receiving $600.00 from a large bookstore chain, that’s great. That can pay someone’s salary for the week. I am sure your family will be happy.
Brien Jones has blamed me for all of his failures. And now he has a convenient scapegoat. He plays on authors’ sympathies for his non-completion of their work by blaming me. He claims it’s due to me that he doesn’t have workers, printers, money, and business. He might be able to blame me for business, but he needs to be honest with himself about his workers, printers, and money. He bemoans to his authors that he is almost bankrupt which is why he can't return their money for bogus promotions like a catalogue that was supposed to go to the book fairs but was never published. So while it's true that he may be staying in business, it doesn't change the fact that authors are paying for something that doesn't happen and won't happen.
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