Author Ryan Cahill signs deal with The Broken Binding to release The Bound and The Broken epic fantasy series

Big things are afoot in the indie fantasy book space. Today is The Day of the Dragon, an event started by authors Ryan Cahill, Michael R. Miller, and Philip C. Quaintrell in 2023 to celebrate fantasy of the draconic variety. This event came out of a desire to give something back to readers who love books with dragons in them; the authors hosted sales, released tasty new merch, and generally fostered a sense of celebration in the fandom for all that dragons (and those who tell stories about them) have given us.

This is the second year for The Day of the Dragon, and Cahill is taking advantage of it to make a massive announcement: independent publisher The Broken Binding Press has acquired English worldwide print rights to his hit dragon-rider fantasy series The Bound and The Broken in a major six-figure deal, and will be releasing a brand new run of the series starting next year.

If you're not familiar, The Broken Binding is a specialty independent bookstore that does gorgeous special editions of fantasy and science fiction books. Back in August, they announced that they would be starting their own publishing house, The Broken Binding Press. Cahill's The Bound and The Broken is slated to be the inaugural release for The Broken Binding Press. These editions will feature new cover artwork illustrated by Tom Roberts, as well as brand new black-and-white interior artwork. The Broken Binding Press will release all five books in the series as well as the related novellas; the first novel, Of Blood and Fire, is scheduled to release on September 2, 2025.

"As The Broken Binding Bookstore, we have championed this series since its independent launch in 2021, and in that time the biggest obstacle we've faced has been keeping the book in stock," said Broken Binding director and founder Matt Holland. "Now that we're stepping into the publishing industry as The Broken Binding Press, it made sense that The Bound and The Broken be our first acquisition, and bring it to the wider audience that it deserves, and allow readers all across the world to discover this sensational series."

The Bound and The Broken is an epic fantasy series in the vein of John Gwynne, Robert Jordan, and A Song of Ice and Fire. Cahill started self-publishing the series during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown; since then, it's sold over 300,000 copies and been published in multiple languages. As of this writing, Cahill is deep into writing the fourth book in the series, Of Empires and Dust. After that, another novella is planned before he hits the big finish in book five.

If you're already a fan of The Bound and The Broken and have the previous (very beautiful) editions of the series, you'll still be able to get a copy of the final book with cover artwork that matches everything Cahill has already released. The Broken Binding will be launching two versions of the final book simultaneously, so that no matter which set you have it'll look nice and complete on your shelf. And if this is the first you're hearing about the series, here's what it's about straight from the deal announcement press release:

"OF BLOOD AND FIRE introduces us to Epheria — a land divided by a centuries-old war, with dragons, gods, magic, and morally grey characters. In this first book, we follow a band of found family and 'The Chosen One' as they navigate their way through a broken world that wants them dead. A centuries-old war still rages in the shadows, and it is about to swallow them whole. OF BLOOD AND FIRE is the first step in a massively sprawling, multi-POV epic that promises to rekindle the flames of classic fantasy."

And here's a statement from Cahill himself about his team-up with The Broken Binding Press: "I'm beyond excited to finally be able to announce this deal. The Broken Binding Press is a special company, run by people who genuinely have a burning passion for fantasy and for the book world as a whole. I know they will treat the series with the love and care that I would myself, and that means everything to me."

The Broken Binding Press will be working together with Black Crow PR and Angry Robot to give this new run of The Bound and The Broken as wide a reach as possible. So if this is a series you've had on your radar for a while and wished you might one day see in bookstores near you, that day may be fast approaching.

There are insane deals on dragon fantasy books today

Beyond all the excitement about Cahill and The Broken Binding's announcement, I also need to shout out another fun aspect of The Day of the Dragon: the sale. Today only, Cahill and five other authors have their dragon-oriented fantasy books on a ridiculous sale, with ebooks as low as 99 cents for 10 entire series. That includes books from Cahill, Miller, and Quaintrell, as well as Quenby Olson, Andy Peloquin, and J.A. Andrews. You can find all the details over at Ryan Cahill's website.

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