This has been a victory week for all of us because Airleaf Publishing has finally closed down. This means that Carl Lau and his crew can no longer defraud new people and many of his established authors who are still unaware of the Airleaf’s non-existent status. Word is getting out daily as frustrated authors try to contact the Airleaf offices with no success; as a result, as of today, December 22, 2007, we have 288 people in our group of Airleaf Victims. Without all of your support and persistence, this would never have happened.
I would like to thank all of you who have sent me loving, caring messages throughout this week since the announcement by Detective Buskirk. We have accomplished our first goal of shutting down Airleaf. Now we need to focus on our next two goals:
- Retrieving our money and materials due to us
- Making sure that criminal charges are brought against Carl Lau
These two steps will require some action on your part as far as sending in letters and reports to the proper authorities. Next week, I will send you an updated list of where to send your letters as we start applying pressure on the government resources that should be doing their jobs in resolving this disaster. You may want to put together a standard “mini-story” that you can cut and paste into a complaint form rather than writing a new one each time. If you need help in composing this, please let me know, and I will be happy to help you.
This week, I had a positive conversation with the Washington FBI who referred me to the local FBI in Indiana. The agent I spoke to was very kind and encouraging. He reemphasized how important it is to fill in the form that I sent you two weeks ago. Some of you have filled it out, but if you haven’t, please take a few moments to do this because this will create a case in our favor. If you have trouble filling it out, please have someone help you. In case you are not sure of the information, I have cut and paste the bulk of the form at the end of this email with the proper information filled in so you can print it out and copy it. I hope that helps. After you send in the form, please email me at Bonkaye@aol.com so I can track the complaints.
Here is the FBI link:
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
As you all know by now, Detective Buskirk offered to help you retrieve your disks and other materials back from Airleaf. He requested that you email him with your information. By today, two of you wrote to me that his email was not going through. This could be due to the wrong email address. His email address is: jbuskirk@rnetinc.net. To the naked eye, the r netinc.net looks like an “m” when you put r and n together. Make sure you are sending it to rnetinc.net. But for those of you who prefer to mail your information, here is the mailing address:
Captain Jeffrey C. Buskirk Martinsville Police Department
PO Box 1415 59 S. Jefferson Street Martinsville, Indiana 46151
As we look to move ahead into the future seeking responsible solutions to our publishing problems, I am checking out every lead that is sent to me. At this time, I am exploring those companies that you, our authors, are recommending. I will not make any recommendations until I complete this research to give each of you the best alternatives for your particular need looking at the positives and negatives. However, I did want to give you one good lead that will help some of you.
I spoke with iUniverse on Thursday about their “Back in Print Publishing Program” for authors who currently have books in print. This is NOT for authors who are looking to get their books into print for the first time. Those services at iUniverse are offered at a much higher price. But if you have a book published by Airleaf, you can have it republished by iUniverse for the price of $299.00. They would become your new publisher and their publishing seal would be on your book.
I do have three books published by iUniverse. In fact, my first book was the last book the company bought before they went POD in 2000. Although I have gone in a different direction for my new publishing to a company that I prefer, I think this is an excellent alternative for those of you who have books in print by Airleaf. For that money, they are willing to design a new book cover, give you an ISBN number, and put your book on the traditional book outlets such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble on line. They also say they can do it in four weeks. I think this is extremely reasonable to have your book back in print. You do have to send iUniverse two copies of your book, and they make copies of each page. They cannot do this from a disk. If you are interested in pursuing this, you can write to Kaitlyn Hartman at this email address: kaitlyn.hartman@iuniverse.com. I would like to thank author Willard Gray for pursuing this information.
Here is the link for iUniverse’s republishing information:
iUniverse is a reputable Print On Demand book company. They are very reliable with their royalties, and I receive royalties from them like clockwork on the quarterly schedule as well as monthly book sales reports that you can look up on the website at any time. You can read about their royalty structures, and other information on this site:
Link to iUniverse royalty site:
Discounts, Royalties and Pricing
As I mentioned earlier, I have gone with a different publisher for my new book that was released several weeks ago. I believe there are publishers who are more reasonable and effective than iUniverse when it comes to publishing new work. Also, iUniverse does not have a return policy for those of you who want to do book signings in traditional book stores. Please keep in mind that any company that offers promotional packages promising you fame and fortune needs to really be questioned closely. We all made mistakes with Airleaf. Let’s try not to repeat them again. If you have had a positive publishing experience that you would like to share with me so I can explore it for a future update, please write to me and let me know.
One of our authors, Charles Gaskins, sent me this good news earlier in the week:
I just got off the phone with AARP credit card services and they are returning my $400.00. They are filing a dispute with them through VISA and if all goes well I will see my money in 7-10 days. It will work as they closed their doors, and shut their phone off so they can't answer that they are an operating company now. Thank the good Lord. Tell the rest to contact their credit card companies and do the same to dispute the charges since services were never rendered.Charles
I know some of you have tried calling your credit card companies, but it wouldn’t hurt to try one more time AND EXPLAIN that the company has closed their doors and left you without your book and/or promotional services. Please let me know if you have any positive results so I can share this with our others.
In last week’s Reporter Times news article, this was one statement that Carl Lau made to the reporter:
Lau said the company has been hurt by "lies" about the company. He said a report that two people had lost their homes because of the money they paid Airleaf for publishing and marketing expenses was untrue.
Kaye said at least two people who sent Airleaf money lost their homes. One invested $10,000 for a book and its marketing and another one $14,000, she said.
I like to make it clear that I have nothing to gain by making up stories since our campaign is based on exposing fraudulence, not creating it. To show how Carl Lau has no clue about the damage he has done to authors, I asked my dear new Airleaf Victim friend, Fred, if he would respond to this story for our authors. He is one of the two people I spoke about. In his own words:
I cannot believe it! Carl Lau now has the unmitigated audacity to deny our pain and suffering? Let me tell you, so that filth like him could know, that our pain and suffering is all too real, and some of us risked all and lost all. To me, it was a “give it all or nothing” proposition, and I ended up with nothing. As a result of my naiveté, if only to reiterate an all too familiar tale to fellow victims of Airleaf, I placed my trust in Carl Lau and his henchmen, risked at least $10,000.00 on a dream to get published and recognized, and indeed, as all of you know, lost it all. In addition, I ended up without a home, ostracized by my family, and had to flee to Mexico to accept the aid of some compassionate relatives. It was either that, or end up in the streets of Los Angeles, and have no contact whatsoever with Bonnie Kaye or anybody else. Here, far from my old home, at least I can use a computer, click on the Internet, and keep abreast of this grand crusade against the fraudsters, and I am heartened by the progress being made.
But my welcome is wearing thin, I fear, and my health, already on the decline for many months now, and certainly accelerated as a result of the stress and anxiety caused by the fraudsters, is getting worse, and I have no way of redressing the circumstances of my situation. And this is what Carl Lau calls lies fabricated by Bonnie Kaye? I am bleeding internally and urinating blood (pardon the graphic details) with fear my kidneys are deteriorating. I have trouble breathing again, and because of Lau I have no money, no hope of anything, never mind any access to simple medical help. I cannot think straight, have no options or opportunities, and am humiliated by circumstances this outrageous fortune has flung at me. Yes, and Lau is responsible!
When I first wrote my “story” regarding my involvement with Airleaf, I feared the worst, resigned myself to the prospect that I would not share in the victory against Airleaf, and thought I´d just take the easy way out and kill myself. The flight to Mexico, which made me feel like I was slipping out like a thief at night, seemed propitious at first, and I hoped would open new opportunities, restore calm to my soul, give me a new outlook on what´s left of my miserable life. But, I´m back to fearing the worst. If I sound like I´m talking nonsense, so be it, and wish that Carl Lau could walk in my shoes for a week, and then ask himself if all of this is a lie.
I´ve tried to do my part, as all of you have, and written to the detective, the attorney general of Indiana, the governor thereof, and Senator Lugar, and even requested of the miserable Lau to formally terminate my association with Airleaf. But, I am making myself even sicker trying to contain the anger and panic that Lau all the rest of them who worked at Airleaf have caused us. This issue, obviously, cannot leave my side, and so there is the constant mental and spiritual tug of war between reason and despair raging in my conscience... a war that reason is losing. Oh, and urinating blood and suffering excruciating pains in and around the groin area ain´t helping matters!
For the present, all I can do is pray for the rest of you, fellow Airleaf Victims, that you may rejoice in the victory that our beloved Bonnie is leading you towards.
Damn Lau and the wretched crooks of Airleaf! Why, why are people like this allowed to prosper? Are we fools for not being more judicious with our business choices? No, no! Even the best of us are misled by these hateful types. We expect evil to be transparent, black and white in a manner of speaking, and we so often forget that dishonesty is always dressed in the clothing of innocence or decency. We saw decency for what it was worth, and were slapped by the hard reality of insidious fraud.
In closing, I beg all victims of Airleaf to make Lau aware of just how much anguish and suffering he has caused, and better yet, let Senator Lugar, Governor Daniels, and all the bureaucrats in Indiana who are dragging their asses, know exactly what Lau and his accomplices have done. And, if they don’t do something, the whole nation will know of the thieves they are nurturing within their state borders, and see how they like it! Blessings to you and yours,
Sincerely, Frederick Martin-Del-Campo
Thank you, Fred, for sharing your story with our group.
After the beginning of the year, I will start putting together our media plan to expose what has happened with Airleaf. I am still working with FOX NY to get this story together. I will also have a plan of action that you, our victims, can use for the media if you are interested.
Final Personal Note
I would like to take this opportunity to wish our group a happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season. As a relationship counselor, I know for some people, this is a difficult time of the year, including me. Although I rarely speak about my own life because I like to focus on our cause, I will share with you that I have lost both of my precious children within the last five years. My beautiful daughter, Jennifer, passed away in 2002 at the age of 22; my beloved son Jason died at the end of 2005 at the age of 23. Even though I have the support of a wonderful family, an extraordinary soul mate of 14 years, loving friends and co-workers, and an amazing support group from my counseling of straight women with gay husbands, there is still a void in my own heart that surfaces each year at this time. Thanks to you, my wonderful new Airleaf Victim family, I feel a new sense of inspiration, fulfillment, and purpose. Many of you have been there from the start of our fight in August with words of support, praise, and encouragement. I have met some of the finest people with the most integrity ever imaginable and formed some new friendships that will last long after this battle is over. Please know that I appreciate your support as much as you appreciate mine. I thank you all and admire your determination NOT to be a victim of one of the greatest publishing scams in history. Happiest of all holidays!
Love, Bonnie Kaye
