After another year came and went without "The Winds of Winter,"George R.R. Martinis opening up in a new interview about the book's massive, ongoing delay.
The "Game of Thrones" author, 77,spoke with The Hollywood Reporterin an interview published Jan. 15 about the status of "The Winds of Winter," the planned next book in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series that he has spent more than a decade trying to complete.
Martin has not published a new mainline entry in his book series, which was adapted into HBO's "Game of Thrones," since 2011. He has continued to provide updates about struggling to finish "The Winds of Winter" for nearly 15 years, and at one point planned to have the book done by the end of 2015.
Martin told The Hollywood Reporter that he might be able to finally finish the book "soon," if only he could rid himself of his many other commitments.
"I have to write more Dunk and Egg," he said, referring to his series of novellas that have been adapted into the new spinoff show "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
"There's supposed to be another 'Fire and Blood' book, too. I do think if I can just get some of these other things off my back, I could finish 'The Winds of Winter' pretty soon. It's been made clear to me that 'Winds' is the priority, but … I don't know. Sometimes I'm not in the mood for that."
George R.R. Martinaddresses 'controversy' over 'Winds of Winter' delay
Martin confirmed he won't allow another author to complete his books, noting the series would remain incomplete if he were to die before the last installment. "If that happens, my work won't be finished," he said, though he stressed that his health is fine and he is "not dying."
Martin also said he will not give up on writing the book. "I would hate that," he told the Reporter. "It would feel like a total failure to me. I want to finish."
Martin said in the new interview that he has around 1,100 manuscript pages of "The Winds of Winter" written. He previously said he had 1,100 or 1,200 pageswritten in 2022. Martin also provided some insight into why the book is taking so long, explaining that when he sits down to write, he often finds himself unhappy with what he has written previously.
"I will open the last chapter I was working on and I'll say, 'Oh f---, this is not very good.' And I'll go in and I'll rewrite it," he told the outlet. "Or I'll decide, 'This Tyrion chapter is not coming along, let me write a Jon Snow chapter.' If I'm not interrupted though, what happens — at least in the past — is sooner or later, I do get into it."
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New year, new star sightings. With the Oscar nominations in sight, celebrities are kicking off 2026 on the awards circuit, stepping out at events like the Palm Springs International Film Awards and Critics Choice Awards.Scroll through for the best celebrity photos of January so far, starting with Teyana Taylor at the Palm Springs Film Awards on Jan. 3, 2026, in California.
Martin's comments come after he briefly discussed the "Winds of Winter" delay during an appearance atNew York Comic Con in October.
"I know there's all this controversy about 'Winds of Winter' and how late it is, but I've always had trouble with deadlines," he said at the time. "I don't feel happy breaching contracts or missing a deadline or anything like that."
The newest 'Game of Thrones'spin-off show is a total train wreck
George R.R. Martin talks 'abysmal' relationship with 'House of the Dragon' showrunner
In the Hollywood Reporter profile, Martin further discussed his issues with HBO's "House of the Dragon," a "Game of Thrones" prequel based on Martin's book "Fire & Blood." Martin revealed his relationship with showrunner Ryan Condal is "abysmal" because Condal "basically stopped listening to me" during production of Season 2.
"I would give notes, and nothing would happen," he said. "Sometimes he would explain why he wasn't doing it. Other times, he would tell me, 'Oh, OK, yeah, I'll think about that.' It got worse and worse, and I began to get more and more annoyed. Finally, it got to a point where I was told by HBO that I should submit all my notes to them and they would give Ryan our combined notes."
Martin previously took his grievances with the show public in a2024 blog post slamming changesthe show is making to his source material and, in the process, spoiled a major plot point he said Condal was planning for Season 3. Martin later deleted the blog post.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:George R.R. Martin talks 'Winds of Winter' delay, shares update
