404 Ink: Publishing Loudly, 2016-2026

July 2026 marks ten years since 404 Ink was founded. During one of our strategy meetings a while back, realising this anniversary was fast approaching, we paused and reflected on what we’ve achieved these first ten years, and wondered what the next ten could look like. Thinking of all the books we have published, and those ahead, we feel so incredibly proud of the authors we’ve worked with, watching many of their writing careers take off since their publications with us. Struggling to come up with a revised mission statement for the next ten years, we realised that we had ticked off every aspiration and goal we had set as fledgling publishers back in 2016 and couldn’t think of any way to better those aspirations. So, came our conclusion: 404 Ink will close in Summer 2026.

404 Ink has been run by two people the whole time, Heather and Laura. We were 24 and 25 years old when we launched the company, fresh-faced out of university and full of confidence that we could ruffle some feathers in publishing. Ten years later, we can confidently and proudly say that we did, and it is time to step back and leave space for others to pick up the mantle, or disrupt the mantle, or just create their own mantle and future they want to see in the book world.

Running a company isn’t easy - 404 Ink was, is, a labour of love, mostly unpaid to the two of us, who are no longer the scrappy upstart graduates, and have different, bigger responsibilities than our younger selves, and over the years the costs and obstacles in independent publishing have increased significantly (we won’t bore you with the long, long list…). We have also seen many publishers come and go over this time - some burning out in these conditions until they can no longer continue, others stepping back not-so-ethically and leaving their authors in the lurch. We felt the best service we could do, to ourselves, our authors, and the legacy of 404 Ink, is to go out while on top, following our biggest year ever, and on our own terms.

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We are delighted to say that the 404 Ink legacy won’t be completely gone, as it continues in new ways: firstly, fellow indie Saraband will be taking forward a significant portion of the Inklings list and continuing to grow the brand, and format, as well as continuing to distribute a small selection of 404 Ink’s main list titles. Prior to this wider transition, Saraband acquired the US rights to a number of Inklings, with the first titles appearing stateside in Autumn 2025, and they will grow the books’ readership internationally more than we ever could.

Saraband was integral to the foundations of 404 - for one, it was where Laura had her first publishing role as Editorial and Marketing Assistant; it was also where Heather first freelanced in publishing, and where we both met before prior to working together more formally. Sara has been an ongoing champion of the company, and has such a clear vision for how they can continue to keep the 404 ethos alive with the titles going forward with her and the team. It feels like a full circle moment.

While the Inklings will no longer be a 404 Ink brand, the series continues and we’re delighted that Saraband will be open for Inkling pitch submissions from 1-31 August 2025, with a guest editor panel to curate this first wave in the series’ new home. More information on how to submit to Saraband for the Inklings series can be found at 404ink.com/submissions and saraband.net.

A handful of event photos from over the years.

Earlier in the year, we reached out to all of our authors (or editors, for anthologies, as well as their contributors) and relevant agents regarding our closure, to give them as much time as possible to process the news and act accordingly, and they have been informed that this news is going public via this blog and elsewhere today. We continue to work with every author individually regarding their next steps, whether they would like support in finding new publishing homes if they are not going to Saraband, or whether we revert their rights. 

On that note, commissioning editors and fellow publishers, if there are any books in our main list or authors you would be interested to know more about, please do get in touch with us at hello@404ink.com, and we can steer you in the right direction if books will be available as of Summer 2026, should authors want to pursue that route or discuss further with you.

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So… what next? We aren’t commissioning any further titles under 404 Ink and we are focusing our efforts on the ethical wind down of the company, ensuring that all our authors find the future they hope for as much as we are able. Any books scheduled to come out following this announcement are going ahead as planned, with no changes. If you have any pre-orders outstanding, they will still be fulfilled.

Two comic cons, about 4 years apart, to one of our final events at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall.

We will be celebrating our authors and books heartily until Summer 2026. We will be celebrating our authors and books heartily after Summer 2026, too, but as fans rather than their publishers. On more individual terms, Laura will be starting a PhD in Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling in October 2025, and Heather continues her role as Publishing and Campaigns Manager for the Terry Pratchett Estate. 

We will still be publishing-adjacent. You can’t get rid of us that easily.

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Part of being business-as-usual for the next year or so means that our books are still available, and will remain so through to 2026, and you can get them at the 404 Ink shop. (Time to say our mantra: the best way to support indie publishers and authors is to buy directly - and now you’re running out of time to support us and our authors in this last stretch!). Come the end of 404 Ink, once these editions are gone, they truly are gone.  

We still have one year until the company fully shutters and plenty of time for goodbyes (and maybe even a big farewell party/funeral…), but for now we want to thank our incredible authors who trusted us with their work, the freelancers who we could not have made these books without, the partner organisations who have shared these books far and wide, the funders who made a lot of this business possible and viable, those who have offered insight or supported us through the past ten years and, finally, the wonderful readers who pick up books, whether that’s from us, bookshops, libraries, or shared via friends. No matter how you got them, we’re glad you read them. Please keep reading them.


- Heather & Laura, 404 Ink (publisher not found)
11th July 2025

 
 
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