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Heather McDaid

@heathermmcd.bsky.social
700 followers 39 following 54 posts

Professional dork. Ex-publisher, current books and puzzle person. Always tired. heathermcdaid.com

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Reposted by Heather McDaid
Small Press Scotland CIC @smallpress.scot · 16/09/2026
Thank you again to everyone who attended our roundtable last week! Our full report is now available, with a complete breakdown of everything we discussed, all solutions proposed, and all resources suggested. Let's fix comics! 📝 smallpress.scot/reports/misc...
The Scottish Comics Roundtable. Event report:
- Statistics on Scotland's comic creators
- Problems faced by our community
- Potential solutions proposed
How can YOU help fix comics?
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Neil Slorance @neilslorance.com · 16/09/2026
a slow September 📚 🎮
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
"It wasn’t quite the best of times or the worst of times, but Scottish publishing was a turbulent place in the mid-2010s." Thanks to Alistair Braidwood and @theskinnymag.bsky.social for the lovely chat about the legacy of 404 Ink! www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/ed...
theskinny.co.uk
Loud and Proud: Celebrating ten years of 404 Ink - The Skinny
After a decade of publishing, the duo behind one of Scotland's most seminal indie presses, 404 Ink, look back at an impressive career and legacy.
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Small Press Scotland CIC @smallpress.scot · 19/08/2026
📢 Do you want to fix Scottish comics? Let's come up with some solutions! Join us on 9th September at 7pm for an online roundtable to discuss the future of Scotland's indie comic scene, in collaboration with CCIC and @chipcollective.bsky.social. More info in 🧵👇 RSVP: eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-c...
The Scottish Comics Roundtable. 9th Sept, 7pm. An online call to arms for everyone working in and with comics in Scotland. RSVP on Eventbrite! Presented by Small Press Scotland CIC, The Comics Cultural Impact Collective CIC, and CHIP Collective.
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Heather McDaid @heathermmcd.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
It is very surreal for a ten year chapter of your life to close while you're barrier at a My Chem show, but here we are. While there's still winding down behind the scenes to do, as is the way, it is worth repeating: what. a. ride. ✌️
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Pumpkin Spiced Hannah 🖤🩶🤍💜🇵🇸 @tooriekep.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Thank you @heathermmcd.bsky.social and @laurafjones.bsky.social for everything you did - @404ink.bsky.social is going to be an enormous miss on the Scottish publishing scene.
A black circular sticker that reads "I am better than everyone else because 404 Ink says so. x"
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Switching off in a few hours!
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Thought Bubble Festival @thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Our Micro-Bursary submissions are open! The Micro-Bursaries are open to early career, UK based: Comic Creators of Colour, Disabled Comic Creators, and/or Trans/Non-Binary Comic Creators. Find out more, and put your name forward here: thoughtbubblefestival.com/microbursaries
A logo of messy colourful circles in purple and pink, white text reads "comic creator micro-bursary" with a small thought bubble logo below, and "2026"

Below this reads "submissions open, eligibility criteria below"
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Heather McDaid @heathermmcd.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Spent the last few months working behind the scenes on the 404 Ink Bursary and we're very proud that this is the last hurrah before we close. ❤️ Lots of amazing presses and people out there doing equally amazing work. 404ink.com/bursary
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Leona @editor.scot · 29/06/2026
The 404 Ink Bursary is such a great, positive way to wind down – just leaving a nice legacy and good vibes. Happy to say I’m mentioned here as a supporter and am donating my time to work with an up-and-coming small press. Looking forward to it!
Post 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 preordered 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:
Publishing Scotland
Inpress Books
Magic Cat
Libro.fm
The Bookseller
Intuitive Editing (that’s me)
ed. PR
One Shot Studios
Fly on the Wall Press
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Heather McDaid @heathermmcd.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Be part of the historic final Post Office trip xo Bonus: fantastic books.
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Laura Jones-Rivera @laurafjones.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I turn off the @404ink.bsky.social bookshop tomorrow FOREVER! It's your absolute last chance to get a book from us directly, all on sale. My final trip to the post office! www.404ink.com/shop
404ink.com
Buy bestselling books — 404 Ink
Buy 404 Ink's books: Nasty Women, Chris McQueer, Helen McClory, Jason Reynolds, Creeper, Elle Nash, Nadine Aisha Jassat and more.
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Heather McDaid @heathermmcd.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Spent the last few months working behind the scenes on the 404 Ink Bursary and we're very proud that this is the last hurrah before we close. ❤️ Lots of amazing presses and people out there doing equally amazing work. 404ink.com/bursary
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
📢ANNOUNCING: Recipients of the 404 Ink Bursary. The 404 Ink Bursary was founded to provide financial support and advice to other small, independent publishing presses. It is our final initiative ahead of our closure next month. Read more: 404ink.com/bursary
404 Ink Bursary in numbers, £5,500 give away to small presses. 844 preorders of Publisher Not Found. 39 Crowdfunder supporters. 23 small presses supported. 16 additional opportunities given to small presses. 10 sponsors and partners. 4 small press projects funded. 3 internships supported.
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Neil Slorance @neilslorance.com · 22/06/2026
🐸
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
(•_•) <) )╯Publique fundinge / \ \(•_•) ( (> for the artes and humanityes / \ (•_•) <) )> doth benefit everyone! / \
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Wonky books are back for the last time! Just £3 for some of our books that have been a little battered through the distribution process but still have some life left in them yet! www.404ink.com/wonky-books
404ink.com
Wonky Books — 404 Ink
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Heather McDaid @heathermmcd.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Utterly useless at sharing news about myself, so: @kickstarter.com have curated trusted partners with crowdfunding expertise, including me! My speciality is in publishing and comics, and culture more broadly. 📧 Get in touch: heathermcdaid.com 📋 The directory: www.kickstarter.com/partner-dire...
kickstarter.com
Partner Directory — Kickstarter
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Laura Jones-Rivera @laurafjones.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
How exciting to have TWO @edbookfest.bsky.social events celebrating the end of @404ink.bsky.social! 1. 22/8: 🎉 Our closing party/funeral! www.edbookfest.co.uk/events/404-i... 2. 23/8: @heathermmcd.bsky.social & I talking about 10 years of 404 & winding down: www.edbookfest.co.uk/events/laura...
edbookfest.co.uk
Laura Jones-Rivera & Heather McDaid: Publisher Not Found | Edinburgh International Book Festival
no description
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clairesawers.bsky.social @clairesawers.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I’ll be chatting with the excellent @laurafjones.bsky.social + @heathermmcd.bsky.social of @404ink.bsky.social about the pitfalls of being a small book publisher + proper ways to support culture on the margins. Join us at @edbookfest.bsky.social on 23 Aug 📚 www.edbookfest.co.uk/events/laura...
edbookfest.co.uk
Laura Jones-Rivera & Heather McDaid: Publisher Not Found | Edinburgh International Book Festival
no description
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SF Layzell @sflayzell.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I've had some absolutely cracking reads from 404 Ink over the years - get them before they're gone! 💙📚
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
MEGA SALE: ALL books are £5 on our website until we close the shop on Tuesday 30th June (or we sell out!). Help us have a great send off: www.404ink.com/shop
404ink.com
Buy bestselling books — 404 Ink
Buy 404 Ink's books: Nasty Women, Chris McQueer, Helen McClory, Jason Reynolds, Creeper, Elle Nash, Nadine Aisha Jassat and more.
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Small Press Scotland CIC @smallpress.scot · 11/06/2026
Did you know we have a library of resources for Scotland's small press creators? We do! Did you know you can help us populate the library by submitting tutorials, events, press contacts, and more? You can!! 📚 smallpress.scot#resources
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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 09/06/2026
@macmillankidsuk.bsky.social (MCB) will distribute 140,000 books through a nationwide literacy campaign tied to the publication of Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. 👇
ebx.sh
Macmillan to distribute 140k books through Gruffalo Granny literacy campaign
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Hannah Berry @streakofpith.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
📆 Next Monday 15th June we’re going to be talking about goddamn COMICS LIVELIHOODS. What sources do we earn an income from? What does fair pay mean? What’s the value of IP? Should only commodified art exist? What is the difference between a career and a hobby, or -god help us- a “side hustle”?
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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 04/06/2026
@transworldbooks.bsky.social has donated 10,000 copies of Terry Pratchett’s Unseen Academicals to the National Literacy Trust to mark the National Year of Reading’s Go All In campaign. 👇
ebx.sh
Transworld donates 10k Terry Pratchett books to National Literacy Trust
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Heather McDaid @heathermmcd.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
All of 404's ebooks went offline today. The sign that our ten years is really coming to an end. We've got the last remaining stock on our website before it's gone for good in a few weeks, so please check out 404's site and treat yourself! www.404ink.com / @404ink.bsky.social
404ink.com
404 Ink
404 Ink is an alternative, award winning, independent publisher of the likes of Nasty Women, Chris McQueer and more.
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Ebooks disappear TOMORROW! Last, last chance!
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Haunt Publishing @hauntpublishing.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
It’s crunch time! There's just four days left until we close our creaking doors for good, so head to our website and grab yourself a scarily good 70% off all our books: audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks. Use code at checkout: HAUNT70 www.hauntpublishing.com/books
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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 22/05/2026
Small presses are keeping the transgender publishing flame alive, says @cipherpress.bsky.social 's Jack Thompson. 👇
ebx.sh
LGBTQ+ Focus: Small presses take big swing on trans titles
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Aimee Cozza Illustration @aimeecozza.com · 22/05/2026
There are officially over 400 artists on HireHumanArtists.com🎉 More human artists than you would ever conceivably want to even try to look at all at once! Hire one for your next human project, wouldja?
hirehumanartists.com
Directory of No Gen AI Artists
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Towards our closure in a couple of months (😭), we've just marked ALL of our ebooks down 50%, so you can grab some of them for as little as £2.25 until they all disappear on Wednesday 27th May. www.404ink.com/store/ebook
404ink.com
Ebook — Buy Books from 404 Ink — 404 Ink
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Laura Jones-Rivera @laurafjones.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Less than a week left to get 404 Ink ebooks before I turn them off and they're gone forever. After planning the closure for like 2 years I am quite excited about this stage of actually finally switching things off! I love 404 but also very, very ready to move on.
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Quindrie Press @quindriepress.com · 18/05/2026
Hey! Did you know we're closing at the end of the year? There's not long to pick up one of our fantastic comics. Whether you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, autobio, horror, romance, your next favourite read might be a couple of clicks away! 🐉 quindriepress.com
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Rachel Talalay @racheltalalay.com · 13/05/2026
This image was my guiding inspiration for Good Omens 3. Having lost my best friend, my best beloved, just two weeks ago, it was always about him and enduring love.
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Laura Jones-Rivera @laurafjones.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Genuinely thankful to all those who have taken the time to read our little memoir/rant about running our own publishing endeavour. The closure is starting to feel real as we start throwing the word "liquidator" around!
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⚠️ eve g ⚠️ @evegwood.com · 14/05/2026
I've joined over 300 artists, arts organisations, academics, think tanks and campaigners who have signed this open letter. Add your name. Tell Scotland's political parties and cultural institutions to deliver a basic income for artists: actionnetwork.org/forms/an-ope...
actionnetwork.org
An open letter to Scotland’s political parties and cultural institutions
A new Scottish Parliament has been elected. Now is the moment. We must make sure a basic income for artists pilot is delivered in this Parliament. The SNP have been re-elected. They said if this hap...
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Heather Palmer @heatherpalmer.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Add your name. Tell Scotland's political parties and cultural institutions to deliver a basic income for artists: actionnetwork.org/forms/an-ope...
actionnetwork.org
An open letter to Scotland’s political parties and cultural institutions
A new Scottish Parliament has been elected. Now is the moment. We must make sure a basic income for artists pilot is delivered in this Parliament. The SNP have been re-elected. They said if this hap...
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Terry Pratchett & Rob Wilkins @terryandrob.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
🤍 🖤
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Laura Jones-Rivera @laurafjones.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
I get it, I ask myself this every bloody day
Quote from the Bookseller saying "I have go ask myself: 'How do we contribute to creating conditions where a 404 Ink can be founded, grow, be sustainable, and thrive and continue to exist?' What needs to change?"
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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 07/05/2026
The Nota Bene Prize has been awarded to Lucy Rose for her feminist folk horror debut, The Lamb (W&N), following a public vote 👇 #BookSky
ebx.sh
Lucy Rose wins Nota Bene Prize 2026 for The Lamb
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Gary Chud - comic writer @garychud.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
NEW COMIC ANNOUNCEMENT HELLBOY meets SAGA in a new dark fantasy miniseries, DEATH DESERVED, soon to be launched on Kickstarter. A cult of killers. A corrupt senate. An assassin seeking vengeance. Read an exclusive six-page preview today and pre-register today www.kickstarter.com/projects/gar...
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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 06/05/2026
Almost 90% of comics creators who earn income from traditional publishing do not earn the national living wage from their work, with 13% relying on state benefits 👇 #BookSky
ebx.sh
Comics creators struggle to survive despite record industry sales, report finds
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Hannah Berry @streakofpith.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
🔥The results of the UK Comics Creators Survey 2025 are in 🔥 STATS! Come get yer STATS! Fresh juicy STATS! ukcomicscreators.org.uk/wp-content/u...
The front cover of the UK Comics creators research report, by Joanna Rivera-Carlisle, Amanda Nicole Curtis and Hannah Berry May 2026
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The Ineffable Con 😇🥂😈 | AntichristMAS 12.12 @theineffablecon.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Pssst… goodomens.com #GoodOmens
goodomens.com
Good Omens – The Official Store
The Official Good Omens HQ store, home to exclusive Good Omens merchandise from the book, television show, and its many incarnations. All in one place.
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Heather McDaid @heathermmcd.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Have spent the last few days going through applications for the @404ink.bsky.social Bursary and it's so cool to see how many amazing presses are out there across books/comics/mags and so thoroughly depressing to see how hard it is to feel financially secure or supported in the arts.
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
📢 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...
docs.google.com
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 ...
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D Franklin @dlibris.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
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
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404 Ink @404ink.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
📢 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
Illustration of 404 Ink's books on two shelves with text "support the future of small press publishing"
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Laura Jones-Rivera @laurafjones.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Very grateful for the wee reviews of Publisher Not Found coming in! I'm hoping those who read it will truly understand why it's ultimately a good thing 404 is closing, but indicative of a sad trend www.404ink.com/store/p/inkl...
For anyone following my account for a while, my love for 404ink won't come as a suprise. In this "tell-all", 404 ink founders - Heather McDaid & Laura Jones-Rivera - discuss 404 ink's beginnings, walk through the publishing in's and out's, and up's and so many downs!
One often doesn't think about the background and the details of publishing, and just looks at the products. After reading this book, I'll think of the people behind it even more.
Also, how did I just found out this publisher was Scottish?!?! We love to see it.
Anyway, enough rambling. As sad as I feel about 404 ink's upcoming closure, this book brought certain closure by showing it is the best step forward.
Thank you to the Inklings series for making so many great gifts (mostly from me to myself) over the years
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