The 404 Ink Bursary
The 404 Ink Bursary was founded to provide financial support and advice to other small, independent publishing presses. You can find information on the recipients below.
This is the final initiative from 404 Ink.
On top of the initial £3,000 pledged by 404 Ink, we were able to offer further funds and opportunities thanks to those who pre-ordered our book Publisher Not Found and backed our Crowdfunder - thank you. We are also grateful to have received support from the below organisations, in terms of time or products:
The Project Bursary
Recipients of the Project Bursary were given £1,000 towards their creative projects.
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Recipient of the £1,000 404 Ink Bursary.
At the centre of Broken Sleep Books is an ethos of de-gentrification, openness, and advocacy. The press is especially interested in making space for writers and readers who have often been made to feel that literature is not for them. That means championing working-class voices, supporting writers through open submission periods, keeping communication direct and accessible, and thinking carefully about how publishing can operate as a space of welcome rather than gatekeeping. It also means believing that small presses can play a vital cultural role by publishing boldly, building community, and resisting the narrowing pressures of commercial trend-making.
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Queer Cymru (Working title, actual title to be confirmed) is an anthology project from Broken Sleep Books, edited by Rhian Elizabeth and Aaron Kent, bringing together poetry by queer Welsh writers. Tentatively scheduled for publication in late 2026.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Broken Sleep Books at @BrokenSleepBooks on Instagram and at brokensleepbooks.com.
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Recipient of the £1,000 404 Ink Bursary.
The Poetry Lighthouse is an independent publishing house and creative platform dedicated to contemporary poetry, literary translation, and cross-cultural dialogue. We are passionate about discovering exceptional poetry and ambitious literary projects that challenge, inspire, and expand the possibilities of language.
Our name reflects our mission. A lighthouse stands at the meeting point of land and sea, casting its light across great distances to guide travellers through darkness and uncertainty. In the same spirit, The Poetry Lighthouse seeks out extraordinary voices, illuminating work that might otherwise go unnoticed and helping readers discover new perspectives, cultures, and ways of seeing the world. We believe in the importance of an inclusive and accessible publishing space where both emerging and established writers can thrive. Through thoughtful editorial support, mentorship, and collaboration, our volunteer editorial team works closely with contributors to help bring their work to its fullest potential.
We actively seek powerful, original voices from the UK and internationally. We welcome poetry that reflects the richness of diverse lived experiences. We are particularly interested in work by LGBTQ+ writers, BIPOC writers, Indigenous authors, multilingual poets, translators, disabled writers, and those whose perspectives have historically been underrepresented in mainstream publishing. We believe literature flourishes when a multiplicity of voices, cultures, and traditions are given space to speak and be heard.
By championing originality, fostering international literary exchange, and widening access to publication, we aim to connect readers and writers across cultures, languages, and ideas. We believe that great poetry has the power to illuminate unfamiliar worlds, preserve cultural memory, and build bridges between communities.
The Poetry Lighthouse exists to celebrate the power of poetry. As a lighthouse guides ships toward new horizons, we hope to guide exceptional poetry toward the readers who will cherish it, ensuring that remarkable voices are not lost in the vast sea of literature but are seen, heard, and celebrated.
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The ambitious expansion of The Poetry Lighthouse’s publishing programme across 2026.
The first project, “Poetry Against Burnout,” is a community-led initiative combining creative practice with wellbeing.
Our second project, “Poetry Around the World,” aims to foreground the global and multilingual nature of contemporary poetry. We will collaborate with translators and poets internationally to curate a collection of poems presented in over 25 languages, featuring both established and emerging voices - with a particular focus on BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. This project seeks to challenge linguistic hierarchies within publishing and create a space where translation is not secondary, but central.
Alongside these anthologies, we aim to continue publishing six full-length poetry collections in 2026, maintaining our commitment to emerging and underrepresented voices.
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You can keep up to date with the work of The Poetry Lighthouse on Instagram at @thepoetrylighthouse and at thepoetrylighthouse.com.
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Recipient of the £1,000 404 Ink Bursary.
Stewed Rhubarb Press is a small independent publisher based in Scotland, specialising in poetry pamphlets, collections and literary projects that champion new voices and distinctive perspectives. Founded with a DIY ethos, the press has built a reputation for supporting emerging writers, particularly those from spoken word backgrounds and those working across languages, forms and traditions. Run by Duncan Lockerbie and Charlie Roy, Stewed Rhubarb Press is committed to publishing work that is formally adventurous, linguistically diverse and rooted in lived experience, while creating opportunities for writers at all stages of their careers. At its heart, Stewed Rhubarb exists to create space for writers to take creative risks, develop their work and reach new readers, contributing to Scotland's vibrant grassroots literary culture.
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Stewed Rhubarb Press are delighted to publish the first English-language edition of 101 Ways to Kill Your Husband by acclaimed Finnish writers Laura Lindstedt and Sinikka Vuola. Originally published in Finland to significant critical acclaim, the book is a formally inventive, Oulipo-inspired work that explores a real-life case of domestic abuse through 101 distinct narrative approaches, combining literary experimentation with sharp feminist and social critique. In October 1981 Anja B. from Finland took a shotgun to her Norwegian husband Thorvald’s chest and fired. He died immediately. On the 5th of May 1983 history was made as the District Court of Oslo not only released her from the murder charges but found her late husband guilty because of the physical abuse he had inflicted on her for years. The case has now shapeshifted from the subject of tabloids and crime magazines to a methodical murder mystery by Laura Lindstedt and Sinikka Vuola. The book serves us Anja B.’s story via different methods and various narrative styles that are in turn witty, surprising, touching, skilful, or garnished with a dose of gallows humour. The writers break with the convention of crime stories that begin with the discovery of the body of a young woman. This time it is the violent husband who dies – 101 times over. The variations of Lindstedt and Vuola dazzle the reader whilst they unravel a tragic story of domestic abuse that ended up in the tabloids.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Stewed Rhubarb on Instagram at @StewedBooks, Stewed Rhubarb Books on Facebook, and at stewedrhubarb.org.
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Recipient of the £1,000 404 Ink Bursary.
Trespass is an independent publishing platform for translations, collaborations and experimental writing. Trespass resists enclosure or privatisation (of land, ideas). It can be collectivised or individual, a mass event or a quiet rebellion. Drawing on this spirit, our interdisciplinary list will speak to themes from decolonial anarcho-feminisms, such as (m)otherhood, monstrosity and interspecies solidarity.
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The Blood Hags series is a collaboration with artist-researchers Ella Frost and Monique Todd, a London-based research duo investigating monstrosity as a guiding principle to liberation. It builds on their Black Vampires workshops and research on the soucouyant, a Caribbean vampire myth. The series will comprise experimental essays in print and digital formats, with an initial launch in October 2026 in London. As our inaugural project, Blood Hags embodies the spirit of Trespass in plotting pathways across disciplines, with a playful attention to form, community and folklore.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Trespass Editions at @trespasseditions at tresspasseditions.com
The Internship Bursary
Recipients of the Internship Bursary were given £500 towards hosting interns.
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Recipient of the £500 404 Ink Bursary.
Fly on the Wall Press is an award-winning independent publisher based in Manchester, committed to curating upmarket political fiction, each with a social message at their heart.
Founded in 2018 with a mission to amplify underrepresented voices and challenge conventional narratives, FOTW has built a reputation for publishing books that spark conversation, inspire action, and push literary boundaries. FOTW won the British Book Awards’ Small Press of the Year (North) in 2024 and has been a finalist six years running! Other accolades include Managing Director Isabelle Kenyon being named a Leader of the Year at the FutureBook Awards in 2025, the Manchester People’s Choice Award (finalist, 2023) and winner of the Manchester Culture Awards 2024 (Promotion of Environmental Sustainability and Responsibility).Fly on the Wall Press authors have been recognised in major literary prizes, including listings in the Women's Prize for Fiction, The Dublin Literary Award, the Sky Arts Award, the Laurel Prize; the Julie Suk Award, the Edge Hill Prize and the Saboteur Awards.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Fly on the Wall Press at @flyonthewallpress across platforms, and @fly_press on X, and at flyonthewallpress.co.uk.
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Recipient of the £500 404 Ink Bursary.
Butcher's Dog is a bi-annual poetry magazine founded and published in North East England. Independent and egalitarian, we print outstanding poems by diverse writers with distinctive voices from across the UK and ROI. Butcher’s Dog is in the process of rebranding as Poetry Newcastle.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Butcher’s Dog on Instagram at @butcherdogspublishing and at butchersdogmagazine.co.uk / poetrynewcastle.co.uk.
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Recipient of the £500 404 Ink Bursary.
Wordsmithery is a Medwaybased literary organisation founded in 2010 with the aim of reinvigorating the local literary scene while creating meaningful connections between writers, artists and readers. Since its inception, Wordsmithery has produced literary events including curating a new yearly literary festival for Medway (Medway River Lit), published books by a range of local poets and playwrights, and championed emerging voices through Confluence magazine. Wordsmithery believe in the power of words to bring joy, build confidence and strengthen communities, and are committed to nurturing writers at all stages of their careers.
Alongside our events programme, Wordsmithery has operated as a micropress since 2014, publishing plays, poetry collections and graphic novels. We produce small, carefully made print runs using traditional and handmade techniques. All our books and magazines are printed in the UK on recycled paper with environmentally responsible inks, reflecting our longstanding commitment to sustainable publishing practices.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Wordsmithery on Instagram at @wordsmithery.info and at wordsmithery.info.
Other opportunities.
We gratefully received support and offers of time from partner organisations.
Recipients of these opportunities can be found below.
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Recipient of The Bookseller event tickets.
Art Riot Press is the small press with a big attitude, platforming marginalised voices and bringing you the very best poetry, prose, visual art and hybrid forms from Scotland and beyond. Welcome to the riot!
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You can keep up to date with the work of Art Riot Press on Instagram at @art_riot_press and at artriotpress.co.uk.
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Recipient of The Bookseller digital subscription.
Carnyx Press publishes speculative fiction, with a focus on writers living in the North of England. Their first anthology, Oaths and Offerings: A Carnyx anthology of folklore, was published June 2026. Between June and July 2026 they are open to submissions for their second anthology, on the theme of sorcery.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Carnyx Press on Bluesky, Instagram and at carnyxpress.co.uk.
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Recipient of ED PR consultancy and 404 Ink consultancy.
DAS Editions is an independent publishing imprint inviting readers to Discover Africa’s Stories through carefully curated works that challenge and inspire.
Our list seeks to bring together canonical African literature and contemporary literary translations at the intersection of Africa, Europe and the wider diaspora. By republishing the classics alongside contemporary voices, we are inviting a dialogue between the past and the present, emphasizing our interconnectedness across time and space.
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You can keep up to date with the work of DAS Editions on Instagram at @daseditions and at daseditions.com.
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Recipient of Magic Cat mentorship and Publishing Academy membership.
Earth to Press is a new publisher that will be launching later in 2026.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Earth to Press’ founder at @sararosebird.
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Recipient of mentorship with Nikki Simpson, founder of the International Magazine Centre.
guava was born in response to a publishing landscape that was not as diverse as it marketed itself to be. The goal is to accurately reflect today's creative landscape. We aim to highlight and prioritize diverse and up-and-coming creatives.
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You can keep up to date with the work of guavapoetry on Substack, Instagram and at guavapoetry6.webnode.co.uk.
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Recipient of The Bookseller event tickets.
Inspired Quill are an Independent, Eco-Conscious and Socially Responsible UK Publisher. We publish across multiple genres including Fantasy, Literary and Climate Fiction... Without the use of AI.
Inspired Quill’s mission is to set new standards in diverse, ecologically friendly and socially responsible publishing. IQ promotes skills development and provides activities and mentoring to encourage and inspire transferrable, creative skills for historically excluded groups. Readers can find themselves in our pages; our books act as both mirror and window to encourage creativity, empathy and hope.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Inspired Quill at @InspiredQuill across Instagram, Bluesky, Youtube, Facebook and Threads, and at inspired-quill.com.
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Recipient of mentorship with Nikki Simpson, founder of the International Magazine Centre.
La chaise jaune is a tentacular collective that creates, edits, designs, and publishes zines. We regularly organize events that bring together video and performance. Above all, we aim to craft spaces that feel warm and open, where people can meet, connect, and share their stories.
La chaise jaune means the yellow chair in French. The name comes from a yellow chair that Estelle, the project’s initiator, has carried with her through many moves across London. With the zine we want to tell, to create and to propose new ways to be.
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You can keep up to date with the work of La chaise jaune on Instagram at @lachaisejaune_publications and at la-chaise-jaune.com.
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Recipient of The Bookseller event tickets.
Little Door Books is an award-winning, family-run, children's publisher based in the Highlands of Scotland currently specialising in children’s picture books.
We work collaboratively with emerging and established authors and illustrators, allowing them to contribute and participate in the creation of high-quality, exciting, quirky and ultimately beautiful children’s books. Music and audio is a key element to what we do and a number of the titles we have published have free downloads of an audio book and some specially-written songs.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Little Door Books on Instagram at @littledoorbooks and at littledoorbooks.squarespace.com.
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Recipient of The Bookseller event tickets.
Margin to Margin Books (M2M Books) is an independent literary press founded in 2024 and based in mid Wales. M2M publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for communities whose experience mainstream UK publishing has treated as subject matter rather than readership.
M2M’s first titles — I Zig and I Zag: Poetry from the Margins and Love and Happiness by G.I. James — were published in 2025 with Books Council of Wales support. A second anthology and three further titles are in production.
M2M also hosts Irie's Spoken Word, a monthly open mic at Bank Vault, Aberystwyth, on the first Monday of every month.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Margin to Margin Books on Instagram at @m2m_books, TikTok at @m2m.books, m2mbooks across other platforms including Facebook and Substack, and at m2mbooks.com.
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Recipient of The Bookseller event tickets and digital subscription.
MSJI Press is the publishing house of Muslim Social Justice Initiative (MSJI), a Muslim political and cultural hub based in Manchester, UK. Shaped by Black and Global Majority struggle against empire, MSJI brings together political education, care and culture for Muslim and racialised communities. Through MSJI Press, we produce urgent political thought for the current moment.
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Recipient of consultancy with One Shot Studios.
OtherSun Press is a new independent comics publisher specialising in sci-fi and speculative fiction for teenagers and young adults. Launching later this year, we produce vivid stories from other suns for those who like to ponder.
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You can keep up to date with the work of OtherSun Press at @othersunpress on Instagram and TikTok, and at othersunpress.co.uk.
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Recipient of The Bookseller digital subscription.
Page of Wands is a writers’ collective running weekly workshops and events in south-east London. Writers of all words share poetry, stories and works in progress. We aim to create spaces where people feel comfortable playing with language, whether they write regularly, or are trying something new. We publish an annual anthology zine, as well as platforming collections published by writers from within the group. Recent projects include a poetry showcase at the National Poetry Library, as well as a collaboration with Speaking Volumes through their ACE funded, Breaking Ground Ireland programme.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Page of Wands on Instagram at @pageofwands_writinggroup and at pageofwands5.wordpress.com.
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Recipient of The Bookseller digital subscription.
Palewell Press is an independent not-for-profit book publisher based in South West London, focused on poetry, fiction and non-fiction on Human Rights, Environment and Lost Wellbeing. We help refugees, writers from other marginalised groups and environmental activists to share untold stories. Central to our work is the belief that racism and hatred against migrants have no place in our country. So far, we have published over 90 books. Camilla Reeve runs the Press solo with the invaluable help of ten lovely volunteers. This year we were a Regional Finalist in the Small Press of the Year awards. Our latest submissions window runs from 15th June to 15th August 2026.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Palewell Press on Instagram at @palewellpress, @palewellpress on Facebook, Linkedin and TikTok, and at palewellpress.co.uk.
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Recipient of tickets to Publishing Scotland conference.
ThirdBear Press is an indie comics publisher, based in Scotland. Best known for publishing BOXES Comic Magazine, we have a focus on storytelling that uses the medium of comics in an interesting and engaging way.
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You can keep up to date with the work of ThirdBear Press at Bluesky, @thirdbearpress on Instagram, and at thirdbearpress.com
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Recipient of free editorial services from Intuitive Editing.
Translators’ House Press is a micro-press publishing anglophone translations. Founded by literary translators, the press exists to raise translator visibility by championing translation as an art form and demystifying its process. The publishing house gives translators a place to reside, where they can speak, experiment, and share their process: a home.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Translators House Press at @translatorshousepress on Instagram.
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Recipient of consultancy call with Inpress Books.
An independent publisher in Leeds, West Yorkshire (but founded in South London in 2020). We focus on books by new and emerging writers, alongside established authors. Our mission is to foster strong and distinct literary voices and those that experiment with narrative, plot and structure. We are also a home for authors dabbling in the darker genres and liminal spaces.
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You can keep up to date with the work of Wild Hunt Books on Instagram at @wildhuntbooks_ukand at wildhuntbooks.co.uk.
From 404 Ink:
Independent publishing matters. Human work matters. 404 Ink was founded ten years ago by the two of us who thought “Let’s give this publishing thing a go”, but the reason we could reach the heights we did was partly through the support freely given and doors held open by those who came before us.
404 Ink leaves the publishing community at a time that feels darker than when we entered it - rather reflective of the world around us - but we hope that the support we saw from 2016 onwards, and the generous outpouring of grief received in the wake of our closure announcement, is channelled to those still fighting the good fight, bringing vital voices and projects to life.
To (egotistically, perhaps) quote ourselves in our retrospective book Publisher Not Found:
Some of the most groundbreaking and vital publishing is happening in the margins, where the struggles are the most potent. We cannot afford to lose that.
We were blown away by the amount of brilliant applications for the bursary. For all we were able to support, there were countless more we couldn’t: they all need readers and champions to help them survive and thrive.
We hope that the enthusiasm and support shown for 404 can now be focused to these other publishers still working today. There are many other publishers out there who need you. Let’s keep supporting them.
Viva la small press scene.
-Heather & Laura, 404 Ink co-founders, June 2026