I’ve been shining a light on the dubious business practices of Tabetha jones and her companies, telling third party accounts of the things she’s done to her authors.
Now, I invite her victims, past and present, to tell their own stories. Ladies, gentlemen, you have the floor.
I know that some of you might hesitate to have your names associated with hers out of concern for your careers of have a very real fear of retaliation, so go ahead and use an alias if you like. She does.
Lepplady 
I’ll go first I guess. I tried to get my book published three years ago but all I got from agents and publishers was form letter rejection letters. Then I saw Mystic and started talking to Tabetha. She told me how she took over the company and it was a mess but she would personally work one on one with me and bust her ass to make my publishing dreams come true. She was so nice and sweet it seemed like a dream come true and she explained all the money she was charging like everybody did it and it was standard so I paid it. I thought everything was great until I saw a blog on Emily Sues’s blog, and then I saw that Cussedness corner blog, then I heard about Thea Larson, then I saw Lepplady’s blog and I realized that I made a mistake. I told Tabetha I didn’t want to work with her anymore and she changed like night and day. Gone was the sweet southern belle that would bust her ass for me and in her place was this tattood potty mouth biker bitch we all know and love. She wouldn’t give me my money back because she already paid her editors and then mstic closed down and she said the accounts were frozen so the money was tied up anyway, and she charged me 300 usd to give me back my rights to my book. She started telling people what a liar and backstabber I was and she and her boyfriend threatened me so bad I was scared out of my wits. I was so hurt and scared I never published my book and I don’t know if I ever will.
So any of you new writers that think she’s so great and calls you like family just wait, she’ll do the same thing to you.
That sounds very familiar. I’ve heard elements of that story from quite a few people. But THEY’RE all the liars and backstabbers, right?
Guess again.
The phrase “make your dreams come true” is a bright red flag that indicates a vanity press. Yes, vanity presses charge inflated prices for their services. That, and selling the author copies of his/her own book, is how they make money.
In most cases, though, people would be better off self-publishing. There’s a learning curve with everything, but it’s still less hassle than being ripped off by Tabetha, with nothing to show for it. You know that now, but there are plenty of others who don’t, so as long as there are starry eyed dreamers, people like Tabetha will continue to victimize them.
Exactly, so don’t be discouraged, LMFAO. Don’t let anybody destroy your dream. Don’t let her, or anybody else, take that from you. You can self publish and keep every dime you earn, better than getting ripped off by a con like that. Anybody can.
How does tabby explain her behaviour towards you?
How does she justify taking $300 from you for right reversal after she already stole the other money and never published your book? I don’t understand how that dopey bitch can claim everybody is “bad mouthing” her in light of her thievery?
I don’t remember how much she tried to get out of Thea to return her rights, but it was some outrageous amount. Thea told her to get stuffed.
A new
author/victim would have to confirm it, but I think Tabetha’s still demanding a fee for the return of an author’s rights. Just not quite as much.If tabby didn’t publish Thea’s book, as she should have according to the contract, wouldn’t the rights have reverted anyway through breach?
I don’t get this part – tabby breaks contract but the authors are supposed to pay for not delivered services AND then pay some more to get the rights back after tabby fucked up!
I really don’t get where that makes sense!!!
The contract isn’t legal in the first place. Nobody should pay anything. They can just walk away and there’s nothing Tabetha can do to them. Not a thing.
I just don’t understand how tabby justifies her demands and pretences after being presented with these facts!!!!
As long as there are fresh victims that are willing to fall for her act, she’ll keep spouting it.
I also noticed that she never answers any serious questions, but she opens her gob extra wide when it’s about making threats or whining about the unfairness to poor tabby!
Nope. There are several questions she flat ignores. Her responses are either crass trashiness, a “pity me” act or a flurry of sock puppets. If none of that works, it’s silence. Anything but a real answer.
Somebody should really go and take something off her – just so she knows how it feels but I suppose that would be silly and pointless as the bitch probably doesn’t even have enough to out petrol in the car to drive to work…
She is getting me really annoyed!
Many of you already know my story. I went public on Suess’s Pieces about my experience with Tabetha and Mystic Press in the hope of saving others from making the same mistake. I faced a torrent of abuse from Tabetha, Eric and those who believed their skewed version of events, even though I had proof to back up everything I’d said. I still have that proof.
Instead of honouring the Mystic Press “contract”, and the formal notice of the companies closing, my royalties were withheld, or rather stolen from me. I was informed by email that everyone who’d bought my book, including my own mother, had returned it upon reading the Suess’s Pieces blog. Aside from the fact that I don’t involve friends and family in my business affairs, when asked, many of them publicly declared this to be untrue. Not only did they have no idea of the article, they also still had their copies of my book.
Since then, several of Tabetha’s aliases have tried to follow my pages, and I have evidence of the lies she’s told others about me. She just can’t leave the people she’s scammed alone, even though she claims things to be in the past, or tells us all to move on. Not long ago, the co-owner of the Mystic Press and Phoenix Fire decided to leave a one star review of my first novel; the very book they published. The unprofessionalism demonstrated by these people keeps sinking to new levels.
I consider myself lucky to have made many new friends through these unfortunate circumstances, and I’m happy to say my writing career has taken off in a way more suited to my goals. If you’ve been the victim of a publishing scam then I am on your side. Even though there are those who called me a liar, or who took Tabetha’s version of events as truth without ever having spoken to me, I bear them no ill will. I understand that it’s easier to believe someone offering you success as opposed to someone offering you only their word.
I live in Scotland, which means I’m not in a position to pursue legal action against Tabetha Jones, much as I would like to. All the same, I do have plenty of evidence and would be willing to contribute to a class action law suit should any of you be in a position to hire a lawyer to take on the case. As unfortunate as it is, there are now more than enough people to speak out and have these scam artists held accountable for their crimes.
I’m willing to share every bit of information I have, too. And I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Bring on that lawyer, Tabetha. I’d love to talk to him.
Tabetha posted this on her page today:
We tried talking to you. All we got was lies and threats.
We have challenged you. And we’re not finished yet.
We do know you, hon. All too well. Some of your newer victims don’t yet, but they will too.
Dallas Gurl on March 21, 2014 at 3:34 pm said:
Shes telling everybody if they talk to you they’ll get sued to so don’t talk to you to be safe. Crazy loonie Tabby girl is dasperate becuz her BULLSHIT COMPANY IS GOING DOWN. She’s making up names and accounts for the new one she opens wait tto you hear it it’s STUPID LIKE HER.
It amazes me that people close to her don’t ask themselves a few simple questions.
Tabetha has ripped people off. That’s been proven. So what makes them think she’s not going to do it to them? Because it’s in the past? Well, if the past is this week, then sure. It’s in the past. Because she’s still doing the same thing today that she did a year ago.
Her brand new bestie should ask herself some questions, too.
Who was Tabetha’s bestie before? And where are they now? Where are all of her old friends? Did they all turn on her and stab her in the back? Seriously? All of them? Wise up, Jackie. Same thing for you, Jamie. People don’t stay around her long because she uses them up and spits them out. Just ask her old friends. If you can find any.
Something else for any authors she’s promoted within the company to make them feel important to consider: When her company folds, she’s not going to take the blame for it. Nothing can ever be her fault, ever. She threw her own mother under the bus over Thea’s contract. So which of you is she going to blame it on when this company collapses? Maybe not her editor. She needs one disciple to carry over into the next chapter. Maybe her manager, who she trusted like a sister only to find she screwed her over like the rest of the backstabbers and liars. So, while she’s kissing your face, you’d better keep one eye on your back. You might just find a sweet, southern gilded hilt sticking out of it.
I leave you with one last sentiment. For now. Does a real friend tell you who you can talk to? Or do they trust you no matter what?
Think about that.
First and foremost I must come on here and formally apologize to you Lepplady. I was one of the few that stood up for Tabetha Jones. She talks a great game and I unfortunately fell for it. I’m am 100% against bullies and was told how bad Ms.Jones was being bullied by this blog. Little did I know that I was the one being bullied.
Bullied into paying for services for that I was told were a “great deal”. Being a new author and having no direction I had no idea that there was nothing she was offering that I couldn’t do for myself.
I paid for swag that I just found out cost half of what she charged me. I just found out the cover I paid for are pictures she got off the internet. She didn’t purchase the rights like she told me she did. That means not only did she steal my money but she stole someone’s image to plaster on my book.
She tried to charge me a release fee for a manuscript she never even worked on. I will not be paying for that.
There are many things she has done, but out of fear of her retaliation I will not name of all the things she has done and said. I hope to move on from her and her fake company and be able to fulfill my dream of being a writer.
I am writing on this blog in hopes that no one else will be scammed by her.
No need to apologize, Brooklyn. You fell for sweet lies told to you by a practiced con artist.
You can absolutely fulfill your dream of becoming a published author. Nothing can stop you from that. And now, you won’t be weighed down by a scam artist whose only intention is to take advantage of you. Fly high and soar free!
Update:
As of June, 2016, Tabetha Jones has no publishing companies in operation that we know about, so our investigation of her has been halted. The point of examining her in the first place was to advocate for authors that reported no royalties and other related abuse from her. If she’s not involved with publishing anymore, that job’s done.
The posts about her remain in public view in case she starts a new one in the future.
If more publishing concerns about Tabetha Jones (Willis, Farmer Hoover, Saulters, etc) – AKA Zooey Sweete, Emerald Rai Fleurs, et al – arise in the future, we will post relevant updates. But for now, we’re focusing on happier topics.
Peace.