'The Winds of Winter' Delayed Further As George RR Martin Juggles 9 Other Projects

For over a decade, fans of George R.R. Martin and The Winds of Winter have endured the agonizing literary drought that followed the 2011 release of A Dance with Dragons.

The sixth instalment of the A Song of Ice and Fire series has become arguably the most delayed book in modern fantasy, not because the author isn't writing, but because he's writing literally everything else.

Martin, whose success has spun off an entire industry, seems perpetually distracted by new projects, old commitments, and the vast, lucrative multimedia empire built upon his original vision.

While the author has openly admitted that the sheer, self-created complexity of his multi-viewpoint narrative is a primary cause of the delay, his prolific involvement in television and ancillary books has only stoked the flames of fan fury.

As of late 2023, Martin confirmed he had written approximately 1,100 to 1,200 manuscript pages, but estimated the final book could be over 1,800 pages long, making it substantially larger than his previous longest works, A Storm of Swords and A Dance with Dragons.

Martin is disarmingly honest about his other commitments, often discussing them in great detail on his personal blog. He has famously likened his creative works to children, stating, 'I love these other things, too,' a sentiment that does little to soothe the impatience of those awaiting the novel that will finally resolve the fate of Westeros.

We've compiled the ever-growing catalogue of projects that are currently stealing the author's attention, confirming that he is, in fact, doing everything but finishing the final act.

The Westeros Cinematic Universe: Why George R.R. Martin Is Too Busy

The expansion of the Game of Thrones world into what is now colloquially known as the Westeros Cinematic Universe has turned George R.R. Martin and The Winds of Winter into an executive producer's nightmare. His commitments span multiple seasons of existing shows and numerous projects in various stages of development:

• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: Martin serves as an executive producer for this highly anticipated spin-off, an adaptation of his popular Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. Earlier this year, the writer revealed that the team is already working on Season 2, meaning Martin will continue to be heavily involved in producing this new project and providing essential notes and guidance to the showrunner. He was recently satisfied enough with the initial episodes to promote the series and meet with the cast during the New York Comic-Con.
• House of the Dragon Season 3: While Martin may not be completely monitoring the production, he remains closely involved in the show, despite its occasional deviation from the source material. As the story quickly approaches its climax, it's obvious that Martin will be busy meeting with showrunner Ryan Condal and his team again, ensuring he provides the necessary pointers to steer the narrative towards the key moments he originally envisioned.
• Aegon's Conquest: The spin-off based on the story of Aegon the Conqueror has already found its writer, Mattson Tomlin (The Batman Part II), who confirmed in July that the author is heavily involved in the show. This close working relationship suggests Martin is dedicating time to help develop the script and narrative structure, all while the manuscript for The Winds of Winter remains stubbornly unfinished.
• More Game of Thrones Spinoffs: Martin has confirmed that there are more Westeros-based spin-offs in the works, including Ten Thousand Ships, Nine Voyages, and The Golden Empire. All these projects are still in early development, but the author has approved them and is meeting with the various people who will work on these series. At this point, no fan would be surprised if they saw a new series debut before the release of the long-awaited book.

New Books, Old Worlds: The Non-TV Commitments Distracting George R.R. Martin and The Winds of Winter

Beyond his executive producer duties, Martin's writing desk is piled high with other literary tasks, many of which are self-imposed extensions of his own universes:

• Tales of Dunk and Egg Novellas: Despite his past promises not to write anything new until he had delivered The Winds of Winter, Martin admitted this year that he has been working on another Tales of Dunk and Egg novella. He has ambitious plans to continue this saga with a couple more titles, previously mentioning he plans to write six more novellas in the series.
• Fire & Blood Volume 2: The second part of Martin's pseudo-history book, Blood & Fire, is set to continue the narrative of the rulers of House Targaryen. While he stated in his 2023 blog that he planned to write Volume 2 after he finished The Winds of Winter, the initial volume was published in 2018—during the longest delay period—proving he is fully capable of prioritising other major writing projects. Martin has noted that the Targaryen-focused novel was easier to write because he already knew their history, leading to public speculation that we might get the sequel first.
• Wild Cards: The 77-year-old writer is a co-editor of the Wild Cards superhero book anthology, a commitment that stretches back decades. While he is currently only engaging in editing work for the project, there had been plans for a screen adaptation. Martin said in 2023 that they will try to market the project again after it was passed on by Peacock, meaning this project remains an ongoing, time-consuming effort that requires his engagement. Further, earlier this year, Martin co-authored a peer-reviewed paper for the American Journal of Physics, drawing inspiration from the Wild Cards series, demonstrating his willingness to pursue academic, non-fantasy commitments.

Beyond Westeros: Other Productions Consuming George R.R. Martin's Time

Martin's influence and work are not limited to Westeros. Several other projects outside the fantasy genre occupy his attention:

• Dark Winds: Martin has served as an executive producer for AMC's Dark Winds from the get-go. Premiering in 2022, the Western psychological thriller follows Navajo Tribal Police officers as they solve crimes in the Southwestern US. Although many fans are unaware of his involvement, the author has mentioned the show a couple of times on his website, confirming his continued commitment to the series.
• Who Fears Death: A lesser-known project involving Martin, Who Fears Death, is an HBO adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's novel, announced back in 2017. Though the project appears to be stuck in 'development hell'—a state common for long-form TV productions—the last public update was in 2021 when Tessa Thompson's production company joined the team. Given how slowly TV productions can move, it's plausible that Martin is more heavily involved in the development and writing stages of this project than he lets on, further diverting his focus from the Westeros saga.
• Literary Festival Headliner: In November 2025, Martin is scheduled to headline the Iceland Noir literary festival in Reykjavík, alongside other notable global writers and screen creators. This commitment to travel and public appearances further reduces his available writing time for The Winds of Winter.

Every project listed here, from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to Who Fears Death, represents a moment of time stolen from the completion of the long-promised novel. With his creative output focused elsewhere, George R.R. Martin and The Winds of Winter remains, for now, just a tantalising, far-off dream.

The ongoing saga of George R.R. Martin and The Winds of Winter has become a testament to the author's staggering creative ambition—an ambition that constantly pulls him towards new ventures while his core fans wait. With a mountain of manuscript pages still to write and nine major projects demanding his time, the literary drought is far from over.