For any writer, few things are more devastating than a publisher who stops communicating, withholds royalties, and holds your work hostage. In early 2023, the Authors Guild received a large number of complaints about TouchPoint Press. All of the complaints involved similar issues, including missing royalty payments, lack of general communication from owner Sheri Williams, failure to publish in a timely fashion, and failure to respond to termination requests.

After many months and multiple attempts to contact Ms. Williams, we finally reached her in September 2024 and worked with her to establish a court-enforced escrow account and payment plan to address the nearly $40,000 owed to our members and to resolve the numerous outstanding claims against the company. Despite her initial agreement to work with us, she once again became unreachable and stopped responding to communications.

After spending nearly a year trying to reestablish contact with Ms. Williams, we, along with 18 of our members, filed suit against her and TouchPoint Press in Arkansas on October 16, 2025. After trying and failing to find and serve her, a default judgment was entered on April 1, 2026, in the Circuit Court of Craighead County in Arkansas against Sheri Williams and TouchPoint Press.

The judgment entered does the following:

• Returns all rights to all plaintiffs;
• Declares Williams and TouchPoint in material breach of the agreements she entered into with the plaintiffs;
• Entitles the plaintiffs to an accounting from Williams and TouchPoint;
• Enters judgment against Williams and TouchPoint on any and all available legal and equitable theories, including claims for fraud, fraudulent inducement, and intentional misrepresentation.

The judgment does not address monetary awards or damages other than stipulating that each individual plaintiff can apply for supplemental relief in the form of contractual damages.

While the pursuit of monetary damages continues, this judgment delivers meaningful relief: The authors who brought this case have their rights back, and the court has entered findings of fraud and intentional misrepresentation on the record. For writers who spent years in limbo, unable to move forward with their work, that is no small thing.

We are grateful to the 18 members who stood with us through this long process and took on the uncertainty that comes with litigation. Their persistence made this outcome possible. This case is also a sobering reminder of the importance of careful research when selecting a publisher:

• Check to see if there have been complaints at Writers Beware.
• Authors Guild members may reach out to our legal services team if they are aware of any issues with a publisher.

If you have any questions, please submit a legal help request or reach out to staff@authorsguild.org.