George R.R. Martin Confronts ‘Winds of Winter’ Delay at NYCC, Citing Longstanding Deadline Struggles
He said the scale of the franchise has made each writing session feel weighty.
Overview
- At New York Comic Con on Oct. 11, Martin acknowledged the long wait for The Winds of Winter and leaned on humor about his NFL fandom as he addressed the topic.
- In recent comments he has characterized the delay as roughly 13 years and said he is still working on the book.
- He told The Guardian that the global popularity of Game of Thrones and his novels has increased the pressure to produce something great, which he says slows him down.
- After missing deadlines tied to 2015–2016 and floating a speculative 2018 window, he vowed in a 2021 blog post to stop predicting when he will finish.
- Progress signals remain uneven, with author Jeffe Kennedy saying the manuscript is about 70% complete and Martin previously estimating roughly three-quarters done in 2022.