Announcing: The Dark Academia Journal (we got a publishing deal!!)
We’ve been hinting about keeping secrets and having big projects on the go for months and months - did you guess it could have been a publishing deal?!
We’ve written a dark academia guided journal. It will be published on 10 September 2026 by Wildfire and you can pre-order it right now!
Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org | Blackwell’s
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to live your best dark academia life, this is the journal for you.
Dive into the shadowy and elegant world of Dark Academia with this guided journal, designed for fans of gothic literature, secret societies, and intellectual intrigue.
Featuring moody, genre-inspired prompts, ornate illustrations, and thought-provoking questions, this journal invites you to explore your inner scholar, pen poetic musings, and unravel mysteries of the mind.
Whether you're scribbling secrets by candlelight, contemplating the classics, or weaving your own tales of mystery, this journal is your companion for all your late-night musings and intellectual exploration in the hauntingly elegant world of Dark Academia.
Inside you'll find:
-The Syllabus: The intellectual and literary underpinnings of Dark Academia
-Lifestyle & Aesthetics: Top tips to perfect the Dark Academia aesthetic and create the perfect atmosphere for your academic ennui
-Campus Drama & Secret Societies: Iconic campus lore and fictional drama
-Philosophy & Reflection: Deep existential contemplation on the darker themes of Dark Academia
It was such fun to write and work on! The journal is also going to be illustrated by Ollie Mann.
Story time.
We were approached back in March 2025 by the lovely people at Headline you said that they were wanting to publish a dark academia journal and wanted to know if we would be interested in submitting a proposal for the journal.
It was a no-brainer.
I made a 24-hour flying visit to see Sarah a casual 180 miles away. We went to a gig, put together the bones of a proposal and made a plan. A week later, we submitted our proposal and the waiting began.
We then received an offer in June, signed contracts in November, submitted the completed manuscript in December, got our copyedits in February, saw the cover for the first time in March, and then the journal was announced at the end of June 2026.
Publishing is a long, slow process, but we’re so privileged to get to experience this and it’s been so interesting to learn how it all works along the way.
The Dark Academia Journal will be published by Wildfire on 10 September 2026
As if all of this isn’t cool enough, we’re doing a book event at Waterstones Canterbury!
If you’re in or around Canterbury on Thursday 24 September then we’d love to meet you and sign a copy of the journal for you! The event is at 7:30pm and you can buy a ticket to come and see us right here.
Please pre-order your copy if you can - we’d so appreciate your support!
