Heather McDaid
Digital strategist & cultural consultant
Connecting audiences to good stories
—–٠✤٠—–Award-winning freelancer specialising in campaigns and brand strategy, with focus on arts, media and culture.Currently open for new projects across 2026-2027.Let's work together!
Some numbers
£4m+ via crowdfunding
50k+ project supporters
160k+ brand following grown
200k+ books sold
100s of pieces of coverage
Over 20 award recognitions
Select campaigns
Good Omens: The Official and Ineffable Graphic Novel
$3.2m+ raised; 37k backers // Dunmanifestin
Black Mirror: San Junipero
$120k raised; 1.5k backers // Twisted Comics
Inklings: Non-fiction series
$90k; 1.7k backers // 404 Ink
Black Mirror: USS Callister
$65k; 861 backers // Twisted Comics
Demolition: Legends of the Ring
Upcoming // One Shot Studios
About
Hi, I'm Heather.I love stories, and spend most of my time helping people to tell them. Whether that’s bringing books out to the world, working with organisations to craft their online presence or wider strategy, I like working behind the scenes to spotlight the work of othersAs a recently-former publisher and co-founder of my own independent press 404 Ink, I’ve worked for over a decade to publish many fantastic books to national and international coverage and readership for the past ten years. Clients have included Penguin Random House, Canongate, Hachette and more.With a proven track record crafting award-recognised campaigns and successful outreach, I’ve also worked as Publishing and Campaigns Manager The Terry Pratchett Estate to launch and run the fan-facing Good Omens HQ strands, and worked across the board to bring new readers and engagement to Sir Terry’s inimitable Discworld series; on the launch of the Black Mirror graphic novel adaptations; with One Shot Studios consulting behind the scenes in comics; and programming for various cultural events and festivals. I am also an official Kickstarter Trusted Partner.My background has included being a section editor for arts magazines, working with cultural charities and running record-breaking crowdfunding campaigns, with a few professional side quests along the way.I work with brands, IP holders, organisations and individuals to create and consult on the campaigns and behind the scenes strategy so their stories can be told as creatively and impactfully as possible.Let’s work together!
Professional side quests
Co-creator of the official Good Omens trading card game.
Co-author of Publisher Not Found with Laura Jones-Rivera.
Event and festival programming and Fan Frontier producer.
Ghostwriter for Creeper's book The Last Days of James Scythe.
Culture writer & editor and editor of several culture books.
Spoken at events across the country and been a visiting lecturer.
Judge for many prizes for emerging creatives and those in culture.
Publisher behind several incredible authors and works.
Publishing of the Year at Scotland's National Book Awards
Named in the FutureBook40 for publishing innovators
Shortlisted for British Book Awards' Marketing Strategy of the Year.
Named in the FutureBook40 for publishing innovators
Lifetime Achievement Award at the Besties. For: 404 Ink
Named in the FutureBook40 for publishing innovators
Crowdfunder of the Year at ComicScene Awards. For: Good Omens
(Then) Most funded comics Kickstarter in history. For: Good Omens
Small Press of the Year (Regional) at British Book Awards x2 (404 Ink)
Named a woman shaping the future by Margaret Atwood
Services
Brand strategy
Working behind the scenes to understand not only how to tell your story, but to expand that in new avenues is vital. Whether merchandising, adaptations or beyond, understanding your audience needs is key.
Crowdfunding consultancy
With over £4m raised in crowdfunding campaigns, I love working on how to bring your project to those who need it, and sharing the unique balance crowdfunding requires.
PR & campaigns
Understanding the many angles a project can take is no small task - getting that story in front of the right people at the right time can make all the difference in its success and reach.
Publishing projects
A decade+ experience in publishing covering non-fiction, fiction, trade, graphic novels, children’s books and more can be brought to project management, consultancy or somewhere in between.
Social media
Knowing how to reach audiences on the ever-growing list of platforms is difficult - it’s important to know how to shape what you do for where you want to be reaching people.
Events & speaking
I’ve spoken about publishing, campaigns, branding, funding and more to audiences nationally and internationally for Universities and festivals all over.
I've worked with...
a range of organisations, IPs creators and more across culture, publishing, journalism, events, TV, merchandising, production and consultancy over the last decade. These include:
Contact
Let's work together! Reach out via the contact form and I will get back to you.