The Broken Binding Publishing have acquired Anna Stephens' An Honesty of Thieves and an untitled sequel, in a 2 book deal. Marcus Gipps, Publishing Director at The Broken Binding Publishing, acquired World English rights from Harry Illingworth from DHH Literary Agency.

An Honesty of Thieves, a compelling and twisty fantasy perfect for fans of Scott Lynch and Joe Abercrombie,  will be published in March 2027.

The thieves known as the Diamond Prince and Sweet Moonlight are the scourge of the glittering yet corrupt city of Akkanholme, preying on the rich as they compete against each other to pull off ever more daring thefts. But when they are abducted and told they must commit five impossible heists, or die, the predators become prey. Who is their mysterious, masked abductor? What is the truth behind Akkanholme’s glitzy facade? To find out, they’re going to have to achieve the impossible. Which starts, unfortunately, with trusting each other.

Anna Stephens said: “I've been a huge admirer of The Broken Binding right from the start. Their passion for books, whether trad or indie, has always been clear, and it's been wonderful to see them expand into publishing as well as retail and bring that same excitement and dedication to championing new and existing authors. When they brought Marcus in as editor, I knew straight away I wanted to send them a manuscript, and I couldn't be happier that AN HONESTY OF THIEVES has found a home with them. I can't wait to bring the tale of Sweet Moonlight and the Diamond Prince to readers alongside their expertise.”

Marcus Gipps said: “It's a delight to welcome Anna Stephens to the ever-growing Broken Binding list, with her excellent fantasy caper AN HONESTY OF THIEVES. Expect double crossing, cross-dressing, magic, sex, death and romance. What more could you want?”

About Anna Stephens

Anna Stephens is the author of the epic fantasy Godblind and Songs of the Drowned trilogies, and has also written for Black Library in their Age of Sigmar and Warhammer Horror imprints, and for Marvel Comics through their previous tie-in publisher, Aconyte Books. Anna runs writing courses through the Magic and Mayhem Author Academy and is an editor and mentor with The Write Advice.

As a black belt in Shotokan Karate and a once upon a time historical fencer, Anna’s no stranger to the feeling of being hit in the face, which is more help than you would expect when writing fight scenes.

About The Broken Binding Publishing

A new publishing imprint spinning off from the incredibly successful special edition and subscription box company The Broken Binding, TBBP has already had a Sunday Times bestseller with its debut publication by Ryan Cahill. Focusing on epic and traditional fantasy, with some SF and horror to come, TBBP will be bringing its publications to a wide market thanks to physical, ebook and audio distribution deals worldwide. The carefully curated list will focus on high-quality production values as well as providing bespoke publishing plans for authors new, established or hybrid.