About — Heather McDaid

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 brands and organisations to craft their online presence or wider strategy, I like working behind the scenes to spotlight the work of others.

As a soon-to-be former publisher and co-founder of my own independent press 404 Ink, I’ve worked to publish many fantastic books to national and international coverage and readership for the past ten years.

With a proven track record crafting award-recognised campaigns and successful outreach, I’ve also worked with The Terry Pratchett Estate to launch the fan-facing Good Omens 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.

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

Publisher Not Found

CO-AUTHOR

The final book published by 404 Ink, written by myself and co-founder Laura Jones-Rivera, documenting our ten years and offering candid behind the scenes insight of the publishing scene, culminating in an (hopefully!) optimistic case for funding and support of the arts.
The official Good Omens trading card game

CO-CREATOR

Co-creator of the gameplay mechanics, narrative and rollout for the official Good Omens trading card game, as contracted by the Terry Pratchett Estate. This launched in 2025 as part of the Good Omens: The Official (and Ineffable) Graphic Novel launch campaign.
Awards & funding

JUDGE
I’ve been a judge for a number of prizes and opportunities for emerging creatives and those working in culture, ranging from the John Byrne Award and the Creative Edinburgh Awards, to those writing about violence against women. 404 Ink’s last ‘hurrah’, our bursary, sees us give away thousands of pounds amongst other career-supporting opportunities to pay it forward.
Career-capturing works

PUBLISHER
Having published many books over my time, 404’s work with Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson on their retrospecive Victor & Barry’s Kelvinside Compendium saw records broken at numerous festivals for their largest events ever, with thousands in attendance for their launch.
Copywriting and branding

As a natural follow on from journalism, I have been a copywriter for many years, with work for Sian Meades’ Freelance Writing Jobs, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Good Omens HQ - the official commerce store - and more.
The Last Days of James Scythe

GHOSTWRITER

Alongside my role as publisher at 404 Ink, where we published The Last Days of James Scythe, the tie in to Creeper’s (amazing) debut album Eternity, In Your Arms, I worked behind the scenes on crafting their narrative and pulling the story itself together.
Interviewing and publications

MUSIC JOURNALIST
In my previous live as a music journalist, I reviewed and interviewed many a musician, from The Eagles and Biffy Clyro, through Jimmy Eat World to members of My Chemical Romance. Some writing on Soundgarden was published in the book Photophantasm.
Events & programming

Events I have programmed include numerous book festivals, professional development conferences, and more. I currently manage the Book End strand for Fan Frontier events, the country’s leading organisation for comic cons and fan-serving events. Previous roles included programming Paisley Book Festival and Scot Lit Fest.
Saying many things

EVENT SPEAKER
I’ve spoken at events across the country alongside people far more talented than myself, sharing stages with the likes of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, author Elif Shafak, or chairing events for book festival appearances for founder of Everyday Sexism, Laura Bates, and being a visiting lecturer.
Culture journalist

In a past life I was a music journalist, with work published across Dork, Ticketmaster, Rock Sound, DIY and more. Elsewhere, I have been books editor at The Skinny magazine and freelanced widely. I was infinitely cooler when interviewing my favourite bands.