Author Shameka Lynn O'Neil sues KBook Publishing and Ingram over a distribution freeze on her guided journal

The complaint

Shameka Lynn O'Neil v. KBook Publishing, Jarvis Lawrence, Neil Bera, and Ingram Content Group LLC / Lightning Source LLC, No. 3:26-cv-00913 (W.D. Ky.), is a four-page verified complaint filed November 5, 2026 in Louisville, with a jury demand. O'Neil, who writes as Meeka Lynn, lives in Jefferson County, Kentucky and appears pro se. The complaint describes KBook Publishing as a Florida publishing packager in Tampa, Lawrence and Bera as corporate officers who managed her account, and Ingram Content Group LLC / Lightning Source LLC as a Tennessee entity operating a manufacturing and wholesale distribution hub. The case is assigned to District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings.

The book

The work is Affirmations That Helped Me Survive a Narcissist, a 365-day guided journal. The complaint says O'Neil is its sole author and copyright owner and never assigned or transferred her rights.

What it alleges

The complaint alleges that in October 2025 O'Neil paid KBook Publishing $2,500 for formatting, ISBN assignment, wholesale setup through IngramSpark, and distribution, and that production files were uploaded to IngramSpark for hardcover and paperback editions. It alleges that the defendants then placed an administrative hold and distribution freeze on the titles without a lawful basis, and that KBook Publishing locked her out of administrative dashboards and refused to hand over the production files or transfer publisher access. It says that on November 4, 2026 she placed copies on consignment at a Louisville bookstore, whose lookup systems could not link the ISBNs because of the freeze.

The claims and relief

Count I seeks a declaratory judgment of sole copyright ownership under 17 U.S.C. 101 and 28 U.S.C. 2201. Count II seeks injunctive relief under 17 U.S.C. 502, alleging the freeze violates her exclusive distribution right under 17 U.S.C. 106. Count III pleads breach of contract against KBook Publishing and violations of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act, KRS 367.170. Count IV pleads fraud in the inducement and conversion. Count V seeks an accounting from Ingram of print orders, wholesale runs, and royalties. She asks for preliminary and permanent injunctions lifting all holds on both ISBNs, an order that Ingram transfer the title's administrative controls to her, damages exceeding $75,000, and punitive damages against KBook Publishing, Lawrence, and Bera.

Early orders

O'Neil filed an emergency motion for a preliminary injunction with the complaint. On November 6, 2026 the court granted her application to proceed in forma pauperis, allowed the action to proceed after screening under 28 U.S.C. 1915(e)(2), reassigned the case to Judge Jennings, and directed the U.S. Marshals Service to serve the defendants.