diff --git a/commands/publish/__tests__/publish-canary.test.js b/commands/publish/__tests__/publish-canary.test.js
index ffa107f671..509d14ca39 100644
--- a/commands/publish/__tests__/publish-canary.test.js
+++ b/commands/publish/__tests__/publish-canary.test.js
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ const lernaPublish = require("@lerna-test/command-runner")(require("../command")
 // stabilize commit SHA
 expect.addSnapshotSerializer(require("@lerna-test/serialize-git-sha"));
 
-async function initTaggedFixture(fixtureName) {
+async function initTaggedFixture(fixtureName, tagVersionPrefix = "v") {
   const cwd = await initFixture(fixtureName);
 
   if (fixtureName.indexOf("independent") > -1) {
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ async function initTaggedFixture(fixtureName) {
       gitTag(cwd, "package-5@5.0.0"),
     ]);
   } else {
-    await gitTag(cwd, "v1.0.0");
+    await gitTag(cwd, `${tagVersionPrefix}1.0.0`);
   }
 
   return cwd;
@@ -111,6 +111,21 @@ Object {
 `);
 });
 
+test("publish --canary --tag-version-prefix='abc'", async () => {
+  const cwd = await initTaggedFixture("normal", "abc");
+
+  await setupChanges(cwd, ["packages/package-1/all-your-base.js", "belong to us"]);
+  await lernaPublish(cwd)("--canary", "--tag-version-prefix", "abc");
+
+  expect(writePkg.updatedVersions()).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+Object {
+  "package-1": 1.0.1-alpha.0+SHA,
+  "package-2": 1.0.1-alpha.0+SHA,
+  "package-3": 1.0.1-alpha.0+SHA,
+}
+`);
+});
+
 test("publish --canary <semver>", async () => {
   const cwd = await initTaggedFixture("normal");
 
diff --git a/commands/publish/index.js b/commands/publish/index.js
index b889eecb41..09e88a9f09 100644
--- a/commands/publish/index.js
+++ b/commands/publish/index.js
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ class PublishCommand extends Command {
 
     const makeVersion = fallback => ({ lastVersion = fallback, refCount, sha }) => {
       // the next version is bumped without concern for preid or current index
-      const nextVersion = semver.inc(lastVersion, release.replace("pre", ""));
+      const nextVersion = semver.inc(lastVersion.replace(this.tagPrefix, ""), release.replace("pre", ""));
 
       // semver.inc() starts a new prerelease at .0, git describe starts at .1
       // and build metadata is always ignored when comparing dependency ranges