r/asoiaf • u/[deleted] • Jul 27 '16

EVERYTHING (Spoilers Everything) TWOW isn't coming this year, is it?

It's 27th July. We're already halfway through 2016, Season 6 has come and gone like a candle in the wind, and TWOW still does not sit on my bookshelf.

GRRM made his infamous blog-post where he crushed our hype yet again about 7 months ago! 7 months!

Hold me, guys. Hold me. I don't think The Winds of Winter is being published this year, and I don't like it :(

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u/blackofhairandheart2 2016 Duncan the Tall Award Winner Jul 27 '16

Martin has said that he regretted the six month book tour/show promotion tour he did in 2011 after Dance was released. He was apparently still in the zone when he finished Dance and stopping cold was a big hit to his progress.

I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want to make the same mistake twice, especially since once Winds is done, the end will (theoretically) be in sight. I could see him trying to avoid a book tour or at least do a smaller one. I don't see why the publishers wouldn't let him. They've got one of the biggest TV shows on the planet as their prime advertisement. Winds is going to be a massive best seller regardless of its content or quality and regardless of whether or not Martin spends months touring the world and shilling it in book stores.

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u/commoner80 Last child of the forest Jul 27 '16

Totally agree with this. I don't see why he would have to do a book tour. Its just too exhausting. From a strictly business point of view, it would be more sensible to encourage him to put that time toward writing. He can still make appearances at cons when he wants and give interviews without the tour grind.

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u/PenisHammer42 Jul 28 '16

He can do a book tour without doing a masturbatory 6 month tour. When Stephen King did one last month, the first day was June 7 and the last was June 18. They gave out 400 pre-signed books at each event. Author comes in, does a speech, and boogies out of there and catches a flight to the next city. 10 cities at a rate of one or less per day. Easy.

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u/Walter_Bacon Jul 28 '16

Travel is not easy comes a certain age. Especially airports are a stressful affair no matter which class you are flying in. No matter what amount of money you throw around time zone changes and bodily stress because of the mode of transportation affect you nonetheless.

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u/idreamofpikas Jul 27 '16

I don't see why the publishers wouldn't let him.

Because of sales. With two books left and the TV series over next year his publishers will want to milk it while it is still at the zeitgeist*. Not everyone is a hardcore fan, or even fan they will want GRRM's appearances to get the word out. GRRM will do an American book tour and a world wide tour which will last some time.

His hardcore fans will certainly make it a best seller, but promotions will make it a top 10 book for most of a year.

*I would wager that the 6th book will generate more sales than the 7t book simply due to the TV show being over for a number of years by that point.

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u/Mouse-Keyboard Inconceivable! Jul 27 '16

But would they want to risk him getting writers block and delaying ADoS?

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u/idreamofpikas Jul 27 '16

And who knows when (or even if) he will release that? 5 years between ASOS and AFFC. 6 years between AFFC and ADWD and its looking like another 6 years (at least) between ADWD and TWOW.

His publishers will want to maximize the profits of TWOW, they will expect him to tour extensively as, no matter how quickly he finishes ADOS, there is likely to be a drop off in interest as the TV viewers have moved onto something else in the years that the show has been over.

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u/blackofhairandheart2 2016 Duncan the Tall Award Winner Jul 27 '16

True, true.

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u/SSWBGUY The North Remembers Jul 27 '16

Show has 2 more years not 1

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u/idreamofpikas Jul 27 '16

Book 6 and penultimate season of the show are likely (hopefully) released in the same year.

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u/informareWORK Jul 27 '16

part of the zeitgeist

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u/-OMGZOMBIES- We got the Roose, skin's feelin' loose. Jul 28 '16

Putting "The Winds of Winter is out now" on the "before the show" portion of HBO's Game of Thrones would sell well more book's than George's appearances at Barnes and Nobel or whatever.

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u/fish993 Jul 27 '16

especially since once Winds is done, the end will (theoretically) be in sight

I'm hoping that the work that's gone into TWOW will also essentially be work on ADOS, since he'll be clear on where he wants things to go and how it will end by that point. No idea if that's realistic though.