Publisher Not Found: A Decade of Disruption. 404 Ink: 2016-2026

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What really goes on behind the scenes in a small book publishing company? After a decade of running the award-winning publisher 404 Ink, McDaid and Jones-Rivera call time on their venture and invite readers into their little corner of the book world. Out Spring 2026.

The book

What really goes on behind the scenes in a small book publishing company? After a decade of running the award-winning publisher 404 Ink, McDaid and Jones-Rivera call time on their venture and invite readers into their little corner of the book world.

From their promises of “publishing loudly” and public financial transparency to the inevitable pit falls and political upheavals, Publisher Not Found reveals the inspirations, tensions and costs necessary to keep a cultural organisation afloat against an unstable economic backdrop where purse strings are ever-tightening. On the eve of their closure, they make the case for meaningful literary culture support for other institutions across the country before it is too late, and essential platforms and voices are lost.

404 Ink’s story comes to an end not with a whimper but with a celebration of their authors and books, exploring what it means to be disruptive and disrupted, for those who seek to find their own place in the industry, shaking up the status quo along the way.

Pre-order

The bursary

As part of 404 Ink’s closure, we are launching a 404 Ink Bursary for small presses in 2026, offering multiple bursaries to fellow indie presses and those looking to create books, as well as fees towards paid internships for those looking to enter or advance in the industry.

404 Ink will contribute an initial £3,000 towards the initiative, with two bursaries allocated to supporting publishers’ creative projects (£1,000 each), and two bursaries that will allow publishers to take on an intern (£500 each), with more detailed information to come in 2026.

Publisher Not Found is available to pre-order at 404ink.com ahead of publication in Spring 2026, with the co-founders pledging royalties on pre-orders towards match funding on the upcoming crowdfunder.

Bursary queries: hello@404ink.com

The details

Publisher Not Found: A Decade of Disruption
Authors:
Heather McDaid & Laura Jones-Rivera
Publisher: 404 Ink
Series: Inklings
ISBN: 9781916637207
Cost: £7.50
Cover illustration: Maria Stoian
Series brand design: Luke Bird

Sales queries: enquiries@inpressbooks.co.uk
General queries: hello@404ink.com