OFFICIAL Game of Thrones Thread

[HRoi]

So what's he so busy doing? Eating jars of mayonnaise?

 

[dlm4114]



That was back in the dark ages of internet book selling, when Amazon, B&N, Borders and everyone else were climbing over each other's bodies to be the "first" to have each big title. So the truth may be that B&N put up pre-order info that had no relation to anything Martin or Bantam Spectra actually told them. Martin's website (again, back in the dark ages, when he had a sub page specifically to answer the "When is the next book going to be finished?" question) essentially said as much. That said, Martin's website was a constant cock tease for years- stuff like, "I'm about half finished, so I expect it to be out by the end of the year." Then in March, "Well, it's going slower than expected, but I'm mostly done, so it should be finished by fall." Then at Christmas, "I'm about three-quarters of the way there, so hopefully by spring." And so on...

It was marsupialed, it did nothing to endear him to readers, and it just ratcheted up the pressure on him, which clearly doesn't speed his writing process up any. I can't believe he hasn't learned by now to just tell people to screw off and that the book will get done whenever the hell he feels like it, if ever.

Ahh I gotcha. Yeah I don't know why he has such a fixation with putting out status updates like that, given that there's really no upside for him or his fans. Also, I just looked, and while his personal site looks like it got a facelift since the last time I visited, I was glad to see that his livejournal still looks more or less like I imagine it did when Storm hit shelves.

Funnily enough, he has a post up about the publication of his next novella (the one about women in Winterfell) that says "Amazon says publication later this year, which I assume is true, but I can't get anyone at the publisher to verify that for me." Uhmm... Is that how publishing actually works?

I also gotta hand it to anyone who's been with the series as long as you have. I read that when AFFC came out, he predicted ADWD within a year, or something like that. Yeesh...

 

[Joffrey]

It'll be awkward but I don't see the big deal with the show overtaking the books. According to this thread there's tons of details in the book the show ignores or tampers with so although fans may know the outcome in broad strokes, there will be a lot of details in books to keep them satisfied. The shows overtaking it may actually make it easier for them to wait for the next installment.

 

[dlm4114]

Generally speaking I agree with you, and I'm definitely going to read and watch both regardless of which comes out first. I'm kind of worried that Martin might freak out if the show passes him though..

 

[iamacyborg]

Good, maybe a freak out will get him writing quickly again.

 

[lefty]

Not going to happen.

The publishers and his agents would have made an ironclad agreement that the show cannot reveal any aspect of the story not yet in the books. They have their property to protect and there's no way they'd piss that away for a few million dollars in royalty/rights cheques.

Also doubt Martin would piss off his core fans.

He's ******* with your heads.

lefty

 

[Gradstudent78]



It was marsupialed, it did nothing to endear him to readers, and it just ratcheted up the pressure on him, which clearly doesn't speed his writing process up any. I can't believe he hasn't learned by now to just tell people to screw off and that the book will get done whenever the hell he feels like it, if ever.

He basically has, he's not giving any estimated in-store dates anymore.

 

[aravenel]



Not going to happen.

The publishers and his agents would have made an ironclad agreement that the show cannot reveal any aspect of the story not yet in the books. They have their property to protect and there's no way they'd piss that away for a few million dollars in royalty/rights cheques.  

Also doubt Martin would piss off his core fans.

He's ******* with your heads.

lefty

Not sure I agree with that... They've already all but said they are going ahead without him. And I doubt HBO would have optioned a series they couldn't have finished--seems exceptionally risky, even for them.

 

[dlm4114]

New sample chapter from book 6 (Arianne)...

http://harpervoyagerbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Winds.of_.Winter-Arianne.pdf

Edit- not new, my bad...

 

[lefty]

Not sure I agree with that... They've already all but said they are going ahead without him. And I doubt HBO would have optioned a series they couldn't have finished--seems exceptionally risky, even for them.

I doubt it's a simple contract but why would bantam and Martin piss away their golden egg for a TV show? The show's important as it bringing more interest to the books, but that means there's even more reason to protect the publishing. How many fewer books would be sold if they show revealed the ending before the books. How pissed off would the readers be?

Sure the producers may know some broad outlines but my guess is that they can only move forward if martin is dead or incapacitated. Even so, there would be massive lawsuits to prevent the show from revealing anything.

The books have sold millions of copies. That's real money. They will protect it.

lefty

 

[otc]



I doubt it's a simple contract but why would bantam and Martin piss away their golden egg for a TV show?  The show's important as it bringing more interest to the books, but that means there's even more reason to protect the publishing. How many fewer books would be sold if they show revealed the ending before the books. How pissed off would the readers be?

Sure the producers may know some broad outlines but my guess is that they can only move forward if martin is dead or incapacitated. Even so, there would be massive lawsuits to prevent the show from revealing anything.

The books have sold millions of copies. That's real money. They will protect it.

lefty

vs how many more books were sold due to the show? Those box sets (and a ton of hardcover ADWD) were selling like hotcakes to people who had no interest before the show. HBO didn't want the show to go forward if they couldn't end it and with the way print media is dying, I'm sure the publishers would take a fat royalty check + a bunch of new sales now over a possible reduction in sales on the final two books in the future.

 

[munchausen]

I'm not in publishing, so I don't know the economics exactly, but I bet the royalties from the tv series dwarf what they're making selling the books.

 

[munchausen]

And according to Bennioff, they aren't waiting for the books to be finished

http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2013/03/got-producers-will-not-wait-for-grrm-to.html

 

[Joffrey]

Lefty, get your point from the publisher's perspective. But why would HBO shackle themselves to a contract where they're reliant on a guy that takes up to 6 years to get an installment completed? I suppose they could simply cancel the show in the event any serious problems come up. As of now they're gauranteed a 4-5 years of great press and ratings (i'm actually not sure of the numbers for GoT relative to other/previous HBO shows). They may just walk away if Martin puts them in a bind. What if some viewers switch/cancel their subscriptions, it was bound to happen at some point anyway. Plus there'll always be another show to bring new viewers to the channel.

 

[in stitches]



I'm not in publishing, so I don't know the economics exactly, but I bet the royalties from the tv series dwarf what they're making selling the books.

i would imagine the same.