I’m a Woman…and a Publisher?

Bonnie Kaye's Jones Harvest Fraud Victims site and Jones Harvest Fraud Victims Blog must be doing some good because she's certainly rattled Brien Jones, the founder of the sleazy vanity press. 

Brien, you may recall, is a former top exec at the Bookman and Airleaf vanity presses, which defrauded scores of gullible, aspiring authors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars before they were shut down. Today he's posted a new rant on his Jones Harvest blog defending himself against Kaye and the legions of bloggers who are warning people to stay away from his latest vanity press scheme, which seems to prey primarily on the elderly:

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! 

As far as I know, I am neither a woman nor a publisher. But you can't really expect a guy with Brien's shady vanity press past to concern himself with facts. It's clear that the only fact he is interested in is whether or not his elderly clients have any credit left on their Visa cards that they can spend on his false promises of publishing success. 

I have blogged about Brien and his vanity press scams here for years…not based so much on what other people have said, but on the sleazy solicitations the moron has actually sent to me and the outrageous promises he's made on his websites.

Kaye's efforts brought down Airleaf and exposed their rampant fraud … with luck,  she will accomplish the same with Jones Harvest.  Keep up the good work, Bonnie!

UPDATE 12-31-08: Brien Jones has, apparently, sobered up and removed his rant from his blog. But you can still see it here on his BonnieKayLies blog. I've also saved it here  as service for students studying to be mental health professionals. 

 UPDATE 12-29-08: Flights of Fancy blogs nails Brien Jones for their amateurish covers and using his receptionist to write the rave reviews that are used as blurbs on his customers books.

UPDATE 12-28-08: Victoria Strauss at Writers Beware discusses Brien's latest rant

UPDATE 12-28-08:  Brien Jones has launched a new site, BonnieKayLies, where he cross-posts his rants from the Jones Harvest Blog. I was scrolling through his blather when I came across his remarkable take on Kaye's efforts to expose the fraud at Airleaf, which eventually led to the Indiana Attorney General shutting down the scam:

In my opinion Bonnie Kaye wanted her books published and sold for free. That’s what she did to Airleaf Publishing. Bonnie Kaye didn’t complain then. Why would she? Then when Airleaf didn’t pay HER enough Bonnie Kaye started a vicious campaign against them (thankfully long after I resigned my position there.)

When Bonnie Kaye was done with Airleaf what happened? The owner walked away scot-free, ‘thanks for all the swell money.’ The people that were there when it closed started their own companies. The only real result of Bonnie Kaye’s campaign was over 1000 authors lost the books they paid to have published.

Then along comes me and Jones Harvest Publishing. ‘Well’ Bonnie Kaye says, ‘let’s try it again.’

Uh-huh. In other words, Brien and his friends at Airleaf did nothing wrong. I guess Brien didn't read the Attorney General's report on the Airleaf  fraud. Maybe that's why he hasn't learned from his mistakes and seems intent on repeating them.

14 thoughts on “I’m a Woman…and a Publisher?”

  1. Does this mean you’ll start getting query letters from writers who read Brien’s blog and want to be published? I can see it now: “Dear Ms. Goldberg, I have written the best novel since Gone with the Wind and I just know you’ll want to publish it.” LMAO.

    Reply
  2. Hi Lee,
    Thanks for addressing not only the fraudulence of Brien Jones, but now his stupidity as well. On my new Jones Harvest Fraud Victims blog, I did mention that you are not a woman. Sadly I had to start this blog because Jones is feeling trapped as a rat in a maze with numerous authors asking him back for money. Please note that the “Guaranteed satisfaction or money back” has been removed from his site as of last month. And when some authors recently asked him back for money for services not provided, he threatened to take them to court. He has a wonderful way of intimidating the vulnerable victims he has created. Jones has a few “shills” who will defend him, but all expert con men keep a handful of them in sight to convince innocent lambs to go to slaughter. His blog is his only way to defame me, and he only has a handful of people who look at his blog–mostly me to keep on top of his next group of lies.
    You can keep posted of all of my responses to Brien Jones at my new blog site which is updated regularly. You can also read responses from others there. The address of the blog is: http://jonesharvestfraudvictims.blogspot.com
    With over 50 complaints that have come to me to date, it is imperative to get the word out about this scam artist who believes he is above the law. As Airleaf fell, so will he.
    Thanks for your help and the help of others who are dedicated to helping authors.
    Bonnie Kaye

    Reply
  3. Bonnie,
    One of the few upsides of our nation’s current financial meltdown is that vanity press operations like Jones Harvest will fold. People don’t have the money, or the inclination, to pay the outrageous fees or to buy copies of their own books. The vanity press industry is in for a major crash…
    I look forward to the day, and I suspect it will be very soon, when Jones Harvest is shut down and Brien Jones will have to stop pretending that he is a publisher.
    The sad truth is that many of Brien Jones’ customers have been taken by vanity press scams before. I hope that this time that they will finally learn their lesson…because there will always be people like Brien Jones out there eager to take advantage of their desperation and gullibility.
    Lee

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  4. Hi Lee,
    After reading your blog entry, I browsed through the Jones Harvest Publishing website and wrote a blog entry about it here. I’ve never before seen a vanity press which had its own fake reviewers. I hope you’re right about this kind of scam folding.

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  5. In my opinion Bonnie Kaye wanted her books published and sold for free.
    Wait, you mean that’s not right? [blinkblink] All this time, I was supposed to be paying my publisher to publish and sell my fiction? Dang, I’ve been doing it wrong! 😀
    Angie

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  6. I’ve read about Jones several times now, and each time I’m amazed by his sweeping allegations and careless errors.
    Congratulations to Mrs Strauss, Mrs Kaye, and the fragrant Mrs Goldberg (!) for all you’ve done to expose this continuing scam.

    Reply
  7. More Ways for the Self-Published to Throw Away Their Money

    I’ve received a slew of new pitches from hucksters who think the self-published are suckers and, apparently, that I am one of them. To be fair to the hucksters, anyone who sends them a check after visiting their sites deserves…

    Reply
  8. I wonder if there is any honest non-traditional publishers out there. Does anyone know of a reputable publishing company that can help get our books published, honestly?
    I hate to admit that I was taken by Brien Jones. Even intelligent writers can be taken. I will carefully do my homework from now on. I will not be taken again. I lost a lot of money on “so called promises” to get my book out there.
    Any comments or advice on this manner would be greatly appreciated,
    Colleen Jeffries-author

    Reply
  9. Why do you need a “non-traditional” publisher? By that, do you mean an honest vanity press? From what I can see, you have gone to Authorhouse and Bookman Marketing in the past to print your books — two notoriously bad vanity presses. If all you are looking for is someone to print your manuscript in book form, go to lulu.com and save yourself a lot of trouble and expense.

    Reply
  10. I have a question. If I write a book on my life and families, and other people. Don’t I have to get all of them to sign some kind of paper saying that they give me permission to write about them and use their names in my book. I know If I knew someone was writing a book and wrote stuff and used my name without my permission I would sue that author.

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  11. Do you understand the damage you are inflecting on the authors that use Jones Harvest Publishing. I have a second book that will be going into print in about two months and really don’t need you all throwing mud at my publisher. Your unfounded rants hurt every author like me who is very happy to print our books through Jones Harvest Publishing.
    Perhaps it’s time you put your writing efforts into producing a new book.

    Reply
  12. Steven,
    Lee Goldberg hasn’t done you any harm. You you have harmed yourself with your ignorance and gullibility. Lee’s warnings and those of many, many, many others will prevent other writers from making the same expensive and idiotic mistake that you did.
    Chuck

    Reply

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