404 Ink announces closure ahead of 10th anniversary

The co-founders and publishers of 404 Ink, the reigning British Book Awards’ Small Press of the Year winner for Scotland, have exclusively revealed to The Bookseller their decision to close the business as it reaches its 10th anniversary in July 2026.

Heather McDaid and Laura Jones-Rivera shared a desire to end 404 Ink’s legacy on their own terms after exploring different options for succession over the past year. Any books scheduled to be published between now and next July remain in production and all pre-orders will be fulfilled. McDaid and Jones-Rivera will officially step back in summer 2026, at which point 404 Ink will cease all operations.

In a conversation with The Bookseller, the pair attributed the decision to the pressures of balancing family life with operating a small press. Jones-Rivera explained: “Effectively, we realised that we couldn’t keep running this company if we both had children… which is quite an indictment of the system as it is and how impossible it is to make a small company work with two women.” McDaid added: “We risked getting to the point where we just could not be as responsible as we want to be… We were going to be stretched too thin.” She continued: “The important thing is we want to go out on a high.”

Despite the closure, the 404 Ink list will live on in different ways: fellow independent publisher Saraband, helmed by Sara Hunt, will take forward a significant portion of its Inklings non-fiction series and will commission new titles in the series for publication from mid-2026 onwards. This follows Saraband’s initial acquisition of US rights for several Inklings, which will be released in the US from autumn 2025. Saraband will also take forward a selection of main list titles including Victor & Barry’s Kelvinside Compendium by Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson.

All 404 Ink authors and editors are aware of the closure and are in discussion with the publisher regarding whether they will be offered a move to Saraband, or otherwise. McDaid and Jones-Rivera continue to work with authors – who have so far been “positive” in their feedback – regarding their next steps. They welcome queries from publishers who would like more information about particular titles and are happy to connect interested parties with the appropriate authors or agents, pending their approval, where books are available.

McDaid and Jones-Rivera met while working with Saraband. In McDaid’s words, they “professionally clicked really quickly” and established 404 Ink in July 2016. They went on to publish books including critically acclaimed anthology Nasty Women, the debut collection from Chris McQueer, poetry from Nadine Aisha Jassat, contemporary fiction from Genevieve Jagger and non-fiction from Carrie Marshall. The co-founders have been named The Bookseller Rising Stars and made it onto Margaret Atwood’s list of women shaping the future. The past two years have been the press’ most successful in terms of turnover and unit sales as well as acclaim for their authors, which has included shortlistings for The British Book Awards and the Betty Trask Prize.

McDaid stated: “When we first launched 404 Ink, we said to last three years was the goal, so to be sunsetting the company on our terms 10 years later is an achievement we’re incredibly proud of. We’ve been thankful to bring so many brilliant authors and their works to readers far and wide, but it is the right time for this next chapter to begin; for this to include Saraband – which was pivotal to the beginnings of both our publishing careers – also feels a full circle moment.” She said of the arrangement with Saraband: “We did approach other people as part of the due diligence, but [Hunt] gets the brand of 404 and what’s important to us.”

Watching numerous other independent publishers collapse questionably and unethically, to the great detriment of their authors and readers, motivated us to wind down fairly and consciously – Laura Jones-Rivera

Jones-Rivera added: “Being such a huge and pivotal part of our lives for the past decade and keenly aware of our responsibilities to our authors, deciding to close 404 Ink was difficult but necessary in the light of so many pressures on small publishers today. Watching numerous other independent publishers collapse questionably and unethically, to the great detriment of their authors and readers, motivated us to wind down fairly and consciously, with our authors as informed and empowered as possible. We’re so thankful to Saraband for being a key part of this process and working with us through this transition, which is no small task.”

Hunt commented: “Having known Laura and Heather since the beginning of their careers, I witnessed them launching 404 Ink in a blaze of creativity, energy and bold ideas before going on to win one award after another. Throughout, they’ve demonstrated a meaningful commitment to ethical practices, in spite of the increasingly difficult conditions for independent publishing over the past few years. I’m in awe of their achievements, and we’re delighted to begin working with some of their authors.”

Jones-Rivera shared that they “looked at other options” before discussing closure and began conversations with investors, but “that was a path we did not want to go down”. She explained: “We realised we’d be beholden to other investors when we just wanted to stay the same size… but it’s really hard to do that. There’s more and more work you have to put in to stay the same size. We’re so dependent on public funding, and the workload to make that happen every year is harder and harder.”

Expanding on their decision to announce the closure a year in advance, they said 404 Ink had “aimed to uphold transparency and accessibility since inception in 2016 and this is just as vital at closure”. McDaid noted: “We’ve had the time to process what this means for us, and it’s only fitting and fair the authors do too.” She added that an “ethical wind down” feels “even more important” in the wake of the recent news about Unbound going into administration.

Going forwards, Jones-Rivera will start a PhD in Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling this October, while McDaid will continue her roles as publishing and campaigns manager for the Terry Pratchett Estate and co-founder of graphic novel consultancy One Shot Studios. They also intend to use the coming year to explore ways to “pay it forward” to fellow indies and aspiring publishers, acknowledging the support they received when entering the industry, alongside winding down the company.

Despite the challenges, they have no regrets about founding 404 Ink, with McDaid saying: “It’s been very fulfilling to see what stories can do. And I don’t mean that in a twee way, I mean in the literal sense that you can be the vehicle for someone who writes a story to do really cool things with their life… It’s been very nice to be that stepping stone for a lot of people.” She added: “A decade of 404 Ink will always remain a professional and personal cornerstone to us.”

Reflecting on the legacy of 404 Ink, the duo would like their journey to serve as “a nice motivation for other people to do small presses”. “We had £500 when we launched. We got where we are because people held the door open for us and gave us a chance to be a small press and then grow into an established one,” McDaid commented. “I hope that 404 is a blueprint of how you can do something longer term, and also how you can exit without burning out.” She called for “another small-press resurgence where there’s space and money for them to grow”.

Jones-Rivera agreed but warned: “We’re cautious in saying we’d recommend [setting up a publisher], because it would have to be done very differently. Heather and I did have the privilege of being able to focus a lot on 404 unpaid and working elsewhere to be able to afford to do it, and that’s much harder today… But we do need more small publishing companies. We really are needed for true diversity of voices and identities and stories across the UK.”