An Indie Romantasy Deluxe Edition Raises Over $117,000 on Kickstarter

Isle of Dragon Bones by M. A. Frick is another example of collectors rallying behind independently produced special-edition books.

Something interesting is happening in fantasy publishing.

Readers aren’t just purchasing stories anymore. They’re supporting beautifully produced physical editions, often directly from the authors who create them.

One recent example is Isle of Dragon Bones, a romantasy standalone by independent author M. A. Frick.

Its deluxe-edition Kickstarter launched October 1 with a funding goal of $4,000. By a recent campaign-tracker snapshot, it had attracted 1,071 backers and raised $117,260—more than 29 times its original target.

That’s a remarkable response for a single independent book project.

A Romantasy With Dragons, Pirates, and Romance

Isle of Dragon Bones is described as a spooky, age-gap romantasy with romantic-comedy elements.

The story follows Kelpie, a woman who washes ashore with no memory of her past, and Ardenn, an isolated man with secrets of his own.

With dragons, forced proximity, romantic tension, and a mysterious island setting, the novel sits firmly within the fantasy-romance genre that has developed an enthusiastic online readership.

Why Collectors Should Pay Attention

What makes this campaign particularly interesting isn’t simply the story.

It’s the demand for a deluxe physical edition.

Kickstarter allows independent authors to bring special-edition projects directly to readers, creating an alternative to traditional publisher-exclusive releases and subscription-box editions.

For collectors, that means another source of distinctive books to add to their shelves.

For the wider market, successful campaigns like this offer evidence that readers are willing to financially support premium physical editions from independent creators.

But crowdfunding success and future resale value are two different things. A successful campaign doesn’t necessarily mean an edition will become scarce or command higher prices later.

A Growing World of Special Editions

Modern book collecting is expanding beyond established names such as FairyLoot, Illumicrate, and OwlCrate.

Independent authors are increasingly participating in the same culture of exclusive editions, distinctive physical designs, and collector-focused releases.

Isle of Dragon Bones offers a compelling example of that shift.

At Relic Scrolls, we’re following these releases because we believe modern special-edition books deserve a marketplace built specifically for them.

And we’re interested to see which editions collectors continue to seek out long after their original campaigns end.

Funding figures reflect a third-party campaign-tracker snapshot and may differ from final totals. Relic Scrolls is not affiliated with the campaign.