diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 8c4cab6f..d1eb608c 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+8/9/14 started 7.40.8
+- fix configure on rhel6 [Lovell]
+
 21/8/14 started 7.40.7
 - width and height were swapped in matlab load
 - set interpretation more carefully on matlab load
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 551c0ad8..e1737307 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 # also update the version number in the m4 macros below
 
-AC_INIT([vips], [7.40.7], [vipsip@jiscmail.ac.uk])
+AC_INIT([vips], [7.40.8], [vipsip@jiscmail.ac.uk])
 # required for gobject-introspection
 AC_PREREQ(2.62)
 
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
 # user-visible library versioning
 m4_define([vips_major_version], [7])
 m4_define([vips_minor_version], [40])
-m4_define([vips_micro_version], [7])
+m4_define([vips_micro_version], [8])
 m4_define([vips_version],
           [vips_major_version.vips_minor_version.vips_micro_version])