404 Ink bursaries to support indie publishing!

Aim

404 Ink is raising funds to support independent publishers, creatives and projects as their last project ahead of their 2026 closure.

Help us support the future of small press publishing with the 404 Ink bursary.

We are raising money to give to small, independent presses to support their projects and allow them to offer paid internship opportunities.

404 Ink is a publisher who has been able to grow over ten years thanks to those who have paid it forward to us. We would now like to do the same for others.

Applications are now open here. 

404 Ink is the award-winning independent publisher, founded in 2016 with the goal to ‘publish loudly’, run by freelancers Heather McDaid and Laura Jones-Rivera. You might know us from our publishing endeavours, including our feminist and queer words anthologies Nasty Women and Fierce Salvage, fiction's finest Elle Nash and Chris McQueer, musician and memoirist Carrie Marshall, poetry wonders Nadine Aisha Jassat and Andrés Ordorica, our collaboration with Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson as they meandered down memory close, or the many, many other talented authors on the 404 roster. 

Our books have been shortlisted for awards for their marketing (hello, British Book Awards), and design, and - of course - the books themselves.

We will be closing 404 Ink on our tenth birthday in summer 2026. As part of this wind down, detailed further on our blog, we are also seeking to pay it forward to others making their way in a tough publishing and cultural climate.

404 Ink is a publisher that, alongside publishing books we love, hoped to shake things up structurally by showing better payment for authors and professionals was possible. As we reach the end of our decade publishing, we want one of our final acts to be paying it forward in hopes that we can give fellow publishers, or aspiring publishers, a leg up in their careers, to honour the many who have held doors open for us across our careers.

We are crowdfunding because we have seen tremendous support our publisher has received, including the many books funded across Kickstarter, Patreon and Crowdfunder. This, however, is a little different. This crowdfunder seeks to raise funds towards bursaries for the publishers of the future in the UK.

While there are 'reward' levels listed at £10 as an example, donations of any size or increment are welcome.

The 404 Ink Bursary will offer two strands of awards:

• £1,000 bursary - This is for small and independent presses to put towards a creative project. The application form will request details about the anticipated project and where the money would be allocated if successful.
• £500 bursary - This is for small and independent presses to put towards hiring an intern, based on our own experiences running the FutureBook Award-winning 'In(k)'ternship scheme, which was remote, flexible and paid across a five day period.

404 Ink is directly funding two of each bursary (for a total of £3,000) initially. 

But, we always did like to set our sights a little bit higher.

We are crowdfunding towards being able to offer further bursaries in these two strands. If more is raised, we give away more. Every donation big or small will be channelled into the future of small presses in the UK. 

Beyond helping us support fellow small presses, we've got a few gifts to offer, too. 

In the spirit of making this as cost effective as possible, we have one optional physical item, and the remainder are digital items.

All backers:

• All backers can get a digital copy of the 404 founders’ Inkling book Publisher Not Found, our time capsule of running a small press in a pocket-sized book showcasing the importance of literary culture. Heather and Laura are also donating their royalties from pre-orders of the book, out in April, to the campaign.

Backers of £10 or more:

• Libro.fm is offering a free audiobook credit to those who back the campaign for £10 or more. Libro.fm is the audiobook platform shares profits from your audiobook purchases with your chosen bookshop, giving you the power to keep money within your local economy. We will seek permission to share your email address with Libro.fm so they can send you your credit post-campaign. 
• UK-based backers over £10 can also receive an A4 print of the cover artwork for ‘Publisher Not Found’, illustrated by Maria Stoian, which captures ten years of publishing from 404 Ink. We will ask all backers if they would like this, and where to send to, or if they would prefer a digital copy (the latter also available internationally).

Applications are now open for small, independent publishers to apply for the bursary. This covers the specifics of what and where the money would be utilised, and why the book or project feels important to bring into the world, or why they would like to host interns and could benefit from the support. We invite anyone in Great Britain and Northern Ireland to submit to this, but note this is intended to bolster organisations that celebrate and prioritise diversity, inclusiveness and accessibility, and projects that could benefit from financial support.

We underline that this money pot is independent of any prior grant funding we have received. All money raised during the Crowdfunder is for the purpose of giving away to other small publishers. The outcomes of the bursary application process is 404 Ink’s decision alone and will be final. If you are backing the Crowdfunder, these are the terms of where money will be directed. There will be full disclosure of where the money is given once awarded via messages on Crowdfunder and our website as appropriate.

If all we can do is offer the four initial bursaries we are funding, we will be content. But, we're giving it a darned good try to offer more.

When we announced the closure of 404 Ink, many asked, "Is there anything we could have done?"

In truth, we think it was our time and nothing could have been done to stop our closure, but we'd like to offer support to those small publishers who may also be considering closure due to perennial pressures.

We'd love to hear from larger literary organisations and publishers more broadly (particularly those with some cash or offers to spare!), to consider donating to support the eco-system that helps discover and nurture many of the authors and creatives who go on to have longer careers at bigger houses, and to thank the readers who are helping us fund for small press futures.

This could include:

• Money towards further bursaries
• Free membership for an applicant to their professional support network
• Consultation or an offer of mentorship for an applicant
• Offers or freebies for backers as a thank you for their support

We are delighted to confirm the following partners who are working with us so far:

• libro.fm - audiobook tokens for backers
• EDPR - an offer of consultancy for a Bursary applicant
• Fly on the Wall Press - one month free membership to their Publishing Academy
• Magic Cat - an online mentorship for a Bursary applicant
• Publishing Scotland - free tickets made available to their annual conference
• The Bookseller - free digital subscriptions and tickets to events

Any way you are willing to help a fellow small press towards their future is something we'd like to discuss with you. The loss of any small press sees the pool for talent discovery and a diversity of voices get smaller. We are happy to discuss any trade offs in our services, or we’d be very down if you’d just donate for the love of the game!

If you are from a publisher or literary organisation that would like to contribute, please do get in touch with the co-founders Heather and Laura at [email protected] to discuss further. 

This is a general timeframe for the 404 Ink bursary crowdfunder and application process.

• March 2026: The Crowdfunder launches. We will continue our efforts behind the scenes to raise additional funds and offers for backers from patrons who would like to support.
• March-April 2026: The bursary application will run for one month, deadline 12 April 2026. No submissions via email will be accepted, nor will any late submissions.
• April-May 2026: 404 Ink co-founders Laura and Heather will be working through all applications and finalising the number of bursaries that will be available to award, and any additional offers of partnership we can pass on to applicants.
• June 2026: 404 Ink intend to get back to everyone with the outcome of their submission by summer. 
• July 2026: The bursaries will be awarded and paid to the respective organisations ahead of 404 Ink's closure at the end of July 2026.

 These estimated dates may shift as the project progresses.

Independent publishing, and culture, matters. More companies are shuttering, and fewer professionals can afford to access the arts as a sustainable career, when the costs to merely survive are skyrocketing.

We believe it is foundational that writers, artists, freelancers and creatives are able to make a living from their art, and also that those looking to build systems that can help make that happen see the structural support to do so. While we appreciate a £500 or £1,000 grant will not revolutionise the industry, or those in receipt of it, we hope that this can act as a small beacon, highlighting the need for supporting the arts. Every pound can make a difference.

Thank you, as always, to everyone who has supported 404 Ink at any stage over the past ten years. 

Thank you to the organisations who have so generously already offered a sponsorship or have pledged to this campaign:

Thank you to those who have pre-ordered the final 404 Ink book, Publisher Not Found, from which our royalties are pledged towards creating further bursaries. If you have yet to get a copy, here you go!

And thank you, for your interest in supporting the future of small presses and indie publishing!

- Heather & Laura, 404 Ink; March 2026

This project successfully funded on 1st May 2026