Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin admits he's "always had trouble with deadlines," but he "doesn't feel happy breaching contracts or missing a deadline" over Winds of Winter

George R.R. Martin has addressed the much-delayed publication of The Winds of Winter (again), admitting that he "doesn't feel happy about it" but has "always had trouble with deadlines".

"I know there's all this controversy about Winds of Winter and how late it is, but I've always had trouble with deadlines," Martin said during an appearance at New York Comic Con (via Entertainment Weekly), "and I don't feel happy breaching contracts or missing a deadline or anything like that."

The author went on to point out that fans get unjustifiably annoyed when networks and studios buy up the rights to older works off the back of his Game of Thrones fame. "Every time that happens, and I announce it on my website, half the internet goes crazy," Martin said.

"'Why the fuck is George R.R. Martin writing this other thing when he should be writing Winds of Winter? What is he doing?' And I want to say, 'I did it in 1993, guys. Come on! It was lying in my drawer, and they wanted it, so I sold it to them!'"

The most recent installment in A Song of Ice and Fire, the series of books on which Game of Thrones is based, was A Dance With Dragons, published in 2011. The longest gap between books before that was six years.

"Yes, I do love Winds of Winter. I'm still interested in it, I'm still working on it, but honestly, I love these other things, too," Martin concluded.

Our next visit to Westeros will be back on the small screen, for new spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Based on Martin's Dunk and Egg novellas and set around a century before the events of Game of Thrones, the series will follow the unlikely adventures of a hedge knight and his young squire.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be released on HBO and HBO Max on January 18, 2026. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other best new TV shows to add to your watchlist.