The 'Winds of Winter' Update: George R.R. Martin Breaks Silence on Delay – And His Reason Has Fans Furious

In a revealing moment at New York Comic Con 2025, George RR Martin confronted years of waiting and fan frustration head-on.

The 76-year-old celebrated author of A Song of Ice and Fire admitted that meeting deadlines remains his 'greatest weakness,' drawing both empathy and ire. His explanation for the long delay of The Winds of Winter, that he loves multiple projects too much, has now become its own controversy.

His comments, reported by Entertainment Weekly, calling the book's unfinished status 'the curse of my life', drew mixed reactions online as fans debated whether his priorities have shifted away from completing the series that inspired HBO's Game of Thrones.

Deadline Struggles, Public Admission

When asked about the persistent delay of Winds of Winter, Martin conceded: 'I've always had trouble with deadlines, and I don't feel happy breaching contracts or missing them.'

He also acknowledged that fans often berate him for working on other ventures, saying: 'Yes, I do love Winds of Winter. I'm still interested in it ... but honestly, I love these other things, too'.

Meanwhile, despite pressure, Martin declined to offer a new publication date.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Martin bristled at online criticism that erupts each time he takes on new ventures outside Westeros.

'Every time that happens, half the internet goes crazy: Why is George R.R. Martin writing this other thing when he should be writing Winds of Winter?' he said.

The author added that his creative life cannot revolve around a single book. 'Yes, I do love Winds of Winter,' he said. 'I'm still interested in it ... but honestly, I love these other things, too.'

'The Curse of My Life'

This is not the first time Martin has voiced regret over the delay. Earlier this year, he described the novel's unfinished state as 'the curse of my life,' acknowledging that the manuscript is now 13 years late.

He blamed the extended timeline on overlapping commitments — from TV projects like House of the Dragon and AMC's Dark Winds to developing new shows and managing his independent bookstore in New Mexico.

'They seem to overestimate how much time I'm putting into these things,' he told EW.

'There are periods where I make good progress, and then there are stretches when I focus on something else.'

Where Winds of Winter Stands Now

First announced in 2011, The Winds of Winter is the long-awaited sixth entry in A Song of Ice and Fire, which began with A Game of Thrones in 1996.

In the October 25, 2022, edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Martin stated that he was 'about three-quarters of the way done' with The Winds of Winter, noting that some character storylines are fully drafted while others still need weaving.

In a later appearance on Tooning Out the News that same year, he offered a more granular estimate: he claimed to have written approximately 1,100 to 1,200 manuscript pages and said he needed 'another 400, 500' pages.

In a 2024 post, he reiterated: 'I am 13 years late. It is what it is.'

Fan Reaction: Frustration vs. Empathy

Online, responses have been mixed. Some fans reacted with sarcasm and memes, accusing Martin of shirking his primary duty. Others defended his creative right to diversify, arguing that burnout is real in long-running epics.

At public events, tensions surfaced: at 2025 Seattle WorldCon a fan asked if other authors should finish Winds of Winter, provoking boos and backlash.

Reddit threads and X (formerly Twitter) posts flooded with memes, sarcasm, and disappointment. 'He says he loves Winds of Winter but clearly not enough to finish it,' one user wrote.

Others defended Martin's right to creative freedom, noting that decades-long projects are common among literary epics.

Yet many fans argue that his growing list of side ventures--including producing spin-offs and working on the video game Elden Ring--shows a lack of focus.

'He's distracted by Hollywood,' one commenter said.

The mixed responses highlight an ongoing tension between author and audience: the struggle to balance artistic autonomy with fan expectations.

No End in Sight — Yet Hope Persists

Despite the backlash, Martin gave no new timeline for publication. Instead, he said he continues 'to work on it every day,' a claim that some readers now view sceptically.

If completed, The Winds of Winter will set the stage for the planned final book, A Dream of Spring.

Until then, fans remain trapped in their own kind of cliff-hanger — waiting, hoping, and occasionally fuming as Westeros' fate remains unwritten.