'The Winds Of Winter' Release Date Delayed, To Be Published After 'Game Of Thrones' Season 6

George R.R. Martin has been hard at work on the sixth novel for his book series A Song of Ice and Fire, which is expected to be released before the premiere of the next season of the TV show based upon his works. However, the author has just admitted that The Winds of Winter will not be published before Game of Thrones returns to HBO.

Martin made the announcement on his Live Journal page on New Year's Day, where he offered a lengthy explanation on why the book will not be released by the end of March. He revealed that he had been given numerous deadlines to accommodate his completion of a final manuscript, the first of which was on Halloween 2015. However, due to "distractions of other projects," Martin asked for an extension from his publishers in August. Although he was given until the end of the year to finish The Winds of Winter, Martin's latest entry in his blog confirms that he was not able to make the second deadline.

"Here it is, the first of January. The book is not done, not delivered. No words can change that. I tried, I promise you. I failed," Martin wrote, adding what fans have been dreading to hear, "The Winds of Winter will not be published before the sixth season of Game of Thrones premieres in April."

So when will the book be finally published? Martin didn't confirm any new deadlines from his publishers, insisting that "it will be done when it is done," which probably means that the book is far from finished. However, there is a possibility that the Winds of Winter release date will be moved to the end of 2016. Game of Thrones Season 6 is expected to air on HBO by mid-April.