George R.R. Martin Responds To Rumors About ‘The Winds Of Winter’ Publication Date
George R.R. Martin set the record straight surrounding speculation in the media that the sixth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series won’t be published in 2015 – by not confirming anything but his desire not to see his books scheduled before completion.
The facts got muddled when Time picked up a Guardian story and proclaimed that Martin’s publisher had confirmed via Twitter that The Winds of Winter (TWOW) would not be published in 2015. What Jane Johnson of Harper Collins actually Tweeted on January 7 was more than straight forward, and still left open the possibility for a Martin publication this year. Or whenever.
“It’s not in our 2015 publishing schedule as it stands. I know no more than that at the moment.”
When the skewed story started picking up traction in the media, a fan notified Martin about it. Martin was told that his fans were aware that Martin didn’t want the book scheduled, and that only a few people were in the loop on TWOW’s progress. The names of media outlets misreporting Martin’s non-publication date were mentioned, including the Wall Street Journal, Time, Entertainment Weekly, the Hollywood Reporter, and the AV Club. The Inquisitr also previously reported that Martin insists no new Game of Thrones book in 2015.
“Since it’s now being widely interpreted and reported as an official statement that Winds won’t or can’t be released this year, as well as that the books finishing before the show is impossible,” the fan known as Tyrion Draper wrote.
“I wanted to let you know how many news sites are publishing speculation as fact that they believe has been confirmed by a reliable source.”
Martin never ruled out a 2015 publication, but he expressed his wish that publishers don’t schedule his books until they’re completed and delivered.
“I certainly hope that The Winds of Winter is not on the schedule of any of my publishers,” Martin replied.
“I have spent years trying to persuade them all not to schedule my books until they are completed and delivered. Scheduling, and then having to reschedule and postpone, just pisses people off. I’d rather not schedule at all until the date is real and certain.”
Martin has only used Live Journal to communicate directly to his fans since July, 2005. Martin reminded his fans of this in a December, 2014, post to answer questions and debunk rumors.
“It seems I need to clarify once more. I am not on Twitter. I am not on Facebook. The only place I post myself, in my own words, is here on Live Journal,” Martin wrote.
American author George R.R. Martin was born in 1948 Bayonne, New Jersey. Martin began selling short stories in 1970 and wrote several novels before beginning work on what would become the internationally best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series in 1991. Named one of Time’s most influential people in the world in 2014, Martin has sold more than 25 million books worldwide.
