The sixth part of “A Song of Ice and Fire” has been due for a long time now, and the longer fans have had to go without it, the more questions this has been bringing up in the community. It’s become apparent that George R.R. Martin is putting a lot of effort into writing the new book, and he’s also trying to tie up lots of loose ends with the story – but its development has so far taken significantly longer than most fans were anticipating.
And while there have been rumors that the book is coming out in 2015 as Martin is coming close to completing it, fans who have been looking up to those rumors might end up disappointed. Recently, Jane Johnson, who’s responsible for the UK publishing side of Martin’s business, has confirmed that “Winds of Winter” is not on her schedule for 2015.
Speculation that the book is about to be released was fueled by a recent social media marketing campaign, which saw a countdown timer that many fans saw as being for the novel. In the end, it turned out that the campaign wasn’t related to “Winds of Winter”, while Martin himself published a blog post in which he shed a little insight on his writing process and his creative style in general.
It should be noted that the statement made by Jane Johnson doesn’t entirely preclude the possibility of “Winds of Winter” coming out in 2015. While she said that the book isn’t on her current schedule for 2015, this actually doesn’t say much – it’s entirely possible that the publisher’s schedule for the year hasn’t been finalized yet, and that Martin may submit the finished book for publishing and release at some point during the year.
It could also mean that the publisher has already received information about the book’s expected completion date, but she can’t share it due to contractual obligations. However, in that case, she likely wouldn’t talk about the possibility of the book coming out in 2015 at all, if she knew that this was actually happening.
George R.R. Martin is a fan of plot twists, so it might not be that strange if it turned out that this is all part of a marketing promotion and that the book is actually coming out in 2015 as a surprise to his fans. Of course, it wouldn’t be very healthy for a fan to assume that this is the case, and those who’re eagerly anticipating the book should probably just arm themselves with a lot of patience, and prepare for an uneventful 2015. In the least, there should be some new information about the book at some point during the year though.
I’ll say this much…and my tone comes ENTIRELY in response to Martin’s bitching that his fans’ are pressuring him and he doesn’t like it: Fuck you. The only reason his fat ass gets to sleep in and eat homemade donuts on a Wednesday morning, the ONLY reason he’s able to facepalm technology and refuse to write on the road, in a hotel, or on any other platform than DOS is because his horrible, bothersome, annoyingly anxious FANS have aggressively purchased his ICE and FIRE books. That, of course, led HBO to show interest in the series and so on and so on. The man is now a multi-millionaire that keeps crying about how everyone is pressuring him to write the next book while he writes unrelated stuff that few wat to read, edits MULTIPLE anthologies of other peoples’ short stories, goes on extensive speaking obligations and making various appearances at every place in the world that will smile and tell him he’s awesome.
Enough. Go home and write to book already. We don’t care about pictures, artwork, or pretty color inserts. We just want the next installation of your GOOD series and we are tired of hearing about what you’re going to do in the future. You won’t live long enough to WRITE the “NEXT” book and while I know there are people out there that CARE about that, I’m not one. I want the next book…..if you won’t write it, allow ***ME*** to write it. I just want to move the story along. I’d love to be able to threaten a “NO BUY” strike if you don’t sit down (like sitting isn’t on the list of your top 3 favorite things) and finish Winds of Winter already. It’s OBVIOUS you not only take us for granted but, in some cases, hold us in disdain. STOP with your myriad attention grabs. MANY more people will like you if you’d just stop fucking around and write the book.
And before you tell me I can’t rush the creative process I’d like to ask you how long it actually TAKES to CONTINUE a story. You don’t need to START one. MOST of your research is already done. So listen: finish the book. NOW. Yes… I just ordered you to do something.. If you can’t get Winds out in 2015 I won’t buy it… Not only will I NOT buy it but I’ll encourage everyone else to do the same. I’ll also start harping on the multitude of mistakes in the HBO series and everything else. Weak, huh? You’re right. It is. But it’s all I’ve got….and you know it…..and you love it. And speaking of love, I ***DO*** love this story but I do NOT love you. I feel you are disdainful and unbelievably, somehow resentful of the fans that gave you the wonderful life you have. Stop being the high school loser that suddenly gets famous. Be the talented author that knows how to continue his story without letting 4 or more YEARS get in between. And buy a fucking word processor that wasn’t built in the 80s. Stop crying about your “way” and practice your craft. Using DOS isn’t cute and doesn’t make you mysterious. It reinforces the growing opinion that you’re a lucky asshole too stupid to get with the times. I’ll sign this,
A former admirer that wondering if he should still believe in you.
Noj, I agree. Of course he’s under no actual obligation to finish the series but he certainly has an implied moral obligation to do so, given how popular the series has become and how anxious the fans are. What’s frustrating is the amount of distractions he’s allowing in his life, as you correctly point out. He’s on record as saying that he can only write at home, with no distractions. He can’t write in hotels, or on the move, or away from his house. Yet he still accepts invitations to travel the world and do interviews and all sorts of rubbish rather than write. I know free travel and hospitality is a perk of being famous but WRITE THE BOOKS FIRST! and then enjoy your well-earned freebies. Stop editing other works and just concentrate on finishing this series.
His editors also need to take some of the blame. There’s no doubt the books have started to become bloated and have lost focus and that’s where his editors need to chivvy him along and keep the story humming. I’m a big fan of the Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R. Donaldson (a fellow New Mexico resident with GRRM) and the last 4 books of the Final Chronicles came out like clockwork – 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013. That’s how you finish a series, George!!!
He’s a big fan of the NFL so now that the season is almost over let’s hope he can drag himself off the lounge and over the road to his writing shack and desk. Get on with it!!!!