Two days left to get applications in! We close the form on Sunday, 11.59pm.

To accommodate for various holidays, we're extending the deadline for bursary applications until Sunday 19th April, 11.59pm BST.

We're excited to see great applications come in and want to see more!

Books I finished in March 2026: 1) "Into Thin Air" by Orjan Karlsson: I had a hard time putting this thriller down. The short chapters all drive the plot forward in a satisfying way, and make it easy to blitz through the story. And I really warmed up to the investigation team, so it's great news that there are more books in this series. 2) "Speak Still" by Wing Lam Tong: One of those books that make me wish the author was my friend - we'd have so much to talk about. Speak Still is about bilingualism, translation, colonialism, and much more. Even though it's quite short, I enjoyed going through it slowly, considering every word with care. 3) "Rinsed" by Geoff White: because if you don't know me by now, fraud and scams are one of my rabbit holes. Watching my colleagues' jaws drop as I told them "I'm reading a book about crypto money laundering" at the company retreat was priceless. Jokes aside, though: credit to this book for making the subject matter accessible (I cannot overstate just how little I "get" crypto, but could follow along just fine), and for painting a clear (if frightening) picture of the magnitude and scale of the crimes tech money laundering facilitates. 4) "Karla's Choice" by Nick Harkaway: would you believe I never read a George Smiley novel in English? I shall be righting that wrong. Starting from the end, i.e. the most recent novel written by John Le Carré's son. It's everything I'd expect from a spy story from the original series, down to the tone of voice and '60s setting. Highly recommended for the spy novel fans out there.

Books I read in March: switching genres like it's nobody's business. Special thanks to @404ink.bsky.social (the reflections on bilingualism in Speak Still will stay with me a long time), and to @orendabooks.bsky.social, because In Thin Air has to be the best thriller I've read in many months.

404 Ink are once again doing great work and offering bursaries for small presses.

Small press publishing is crucial for diverse and equitable publishing models - so check it out!

Publisher Not Found: A Decade of Disruption by 404 Ink — 404 Ink What really goes on behind closer doors in publishing? After ten years of running their own award-winning company, 404 Ink, McDaid and Jones-Rivera call time on their venture and invite readers into t...

Today is technically the official publication day for Publisher Not Found, because it's 4/04/26...
but Saturday is an awkward pub day so we released it early. Thank you all who have taken time with it already and for the kind words!

www.404ink.com/store/p/inkl...

We've raised enough for at least another £1,000 bursary for publishing projects and £500 for an internship! Can you help get us to £2,000 over this month to get more cash to the small presses that need it?

Share & donate: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/404-bursary

Aunts to the rescue!

Apply for the 404 Ink Bursary 404 Ink is the award-winning independent publisher, founded in 2016 to ‘publish loudly’, run by freelancers Heather McDaid and Laura Jones-Rivera. We will be closing the company on our tenth birthday ...

📢 THE 404 INK BURSARY FOR UK-BASED SMALL PRESSES NOW OPEN

Applications are now open for our bursary to support small presses in the UK. There are 2 strands you can apply for: donating £1,000 towards creative projects, or £500 towards hosting an intern.

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Thank you to everyone who has donated and got us past our modest target so quickly! The crowdfunder will be open for a while yet to support as many bursaries as possible for the crucial small presses across the UK.

Five of Scotland's best independent book publishers - and one sad loss Every generation opens a new chapter in the rich old tale of Scottish publishing, with companies now covering the length and breadth of the country.…

Had a jump scare from my own 2018 era face when google alerts pinged via my name. This is a lovely nod, though!

www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2...

This is a beautiful and heartfelt read about what it’s really like to run a small publishing house. HUGE shout out to @heathermmcd.bsky.social and @laurafjones.bsky.social for a decade of producing wonderful, original and important books. ✊Why not go buy some at www.404ink.com

Illustration of 404 Ink's books on two shelves with text "support the future of small press publishing"

📢 WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We have opened applications for the 404 Ink bursary to support small presses in the UK, but that is only one part of the plan. We are also crowdfunding to raise additional bursaries to give away.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/404-bursary

UK small press publishers, get your eyes on this!

So @404ink.bsky.social, as part of their windup, are trying to support and help other small presses, who are the lifeblood and cutting edge of the British publishing industry. Help them help the industry

@404ink.bsky.social have launched a crowdfunder for small presses. It's a really good cause so if you can spare a few quid that would be lovely, and also proof that you are a wonderful and gorgeous person.

Illustration of 404 Ink's books on two shelves with text "support the future of small press publishing"

The survival of small presses is threatened more than ever before, and their work is vital - any way you are able to support and circulate the Bursary, we are grateful!

Crowdfunder: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/404-bursary

Bursary: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Whether you can spare £1 or £1,000, every penny raised will be given away to small presses in the UK, on top of our initial £3,000 pledge from 404 Ink. If there are any organisations who could spare financial support, or in-kind offers, please share.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/404-bursary

We have run a number of crowdfunders over our ten years, and been humbled by the support, and want to do it one last time. Instead of funding our books, however, we want to pay it forward to other small presses in the UK and need your help.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/404-bursary

Illustration of 404 Ink's books on two shelves with text "support the future of small press publishing"

📢 WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We have opened applications for the 404 Ink bursary to support small presses in the UK, but that is only one part of the plan. We are also crowdfunding to raise additional bursaries to give away.

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/404-bursary

🔍 You can view all the questions at www.404ink.com/blog/bursary... and apply on the form.

💰 We’re also crowdfunding additional bursaries and would love your support: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/404-bursary

📣 Please share & spread the word!

Apply for a bursary: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

We are pledging two of each to begin, totalling £3,000.

We are also pledging our royalties from pre-orders of Publisher Not Found: A Decade of Disruption, our book looking behind the scenes of 404 Ink’s rise and fall, to fund further bursaries.

❗ Deadline: 12 April 2026, 11:59PM BST

Apply for the 404 Ink Bursary 404 Ink is the award-winning independent publisher, founded in 2016 to ‘publish loudly’, run by freelancers Heather McDaid and Laura Jones-Rivera. We will be closing the company on our tenth birthday ...

📢 THE 404 INK BURSARY FOR UK-BASED SMALL PRESSES NOW OPEN

Applications are now open for our bursary to support small presses in the UK. There are 2 strands you can apply for: donating £1,000 towards creative projects, or £500 towards hosting an intern.

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Appreciate the nod. Our bursary, launching VERY soon, seeks to mitigate some of that depression...

An open copy of Publisher Not Found on a cafe table, with a pot of tea in the background

Not quite halfway through @404ink.bsky.social’s Publisher Not Found and finding it an engrossing, honest and revealing read - thank you @heathermmcd.bsky.social & @laurafjones.bsky.social for writing and offering us this book as a final publication!

Photo of someone holding a copy of Publisher Not Found

A copy of Publisher Not Found with caption "happy to have received my pre order from the wonderful 404 Ink. Feels like this will be a galvanising read ahead of LBF'

Very exciting to see copies of our book landing with peeps now. I've seen at least 3 people say they're reading it on the way to LBF and given how bleak some of it gets, I apologise. But hopefully it's something to chat about in the one hour long queues for coffee?!

www.404ink.com/store/p/inkl...

Mayhem & Death - Helen McClory — 404 Ink ‘A writer completely unafraid’ - Ali Smith | ‘Shiny dark licorice mind candy’ - Margaret Atwood

“It is not hard to be outpaced even by a sickly polar bear, nor are appointments with death in the arctic ever truly unexpected”

—Helen McClory’s “The Companion” (MAYHEM & DEATH, @404ink.bsky.social 2018) is a haunting parable of environmental calamity
#BookWormSat 💙📚
www.404ink.com/store/p/mayh...

I’ve been looking forward to this delivery from @404ink.bsky.social 👏🏼

Coming soon! The 404 Ink Bursary for small presses and accompanying crowdfunder will launch in mid-March. This will give away at least £3,000 to small presses - we hope to raise more to pay it forward to even more people.

Not currently but it will be available as an ebook and hopefully when we close it will be made available in the US by a publisher taking on a number of our books.

Photo of our book Publisher Not Found on a bookshelf surrounded by Inklings

Thinking we need to launch a competition of most meta photo of Publisher Not Found on bookshelves.

Preorders being sent out tomorrow!

www.404ink.com/store/p/inkl...