The much awaited release of "The Winds of Winter" still has no exact release date, but reports say that the sixth installment of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series is now currently being proofread. What's more exciting is that rumors are pinning the release date by January 2017.
Old Age, Slow Writing
When talking about "The Winds of Winter," one could not avoid but tackling the notoriously long wait since the release of its preceding installment. With author George R.R. Martin admitting that he is indeed a slow writer, fans have previously speculated that the eventual release of "The Winds of Winter" would be in 2018.
However, Martin had already owed the slow writing to his old age, which prompts him to write the much anticipated novel slower than he usually does. With this, it was difficult for Martin to write the story of "The Winds of Winter" continuously, with a lot of material and concepts intertwined with each intricate detail and character of the story.
Game of Waiting
Another yet conflicting report states that George R.R. Martin is actually waiting to release "The Winds of Winter" after the finale of "Game of Thrones" Season 7. This is largely due to avoid any spoilers for the HBO series to be divulged, ruining any thrill and suspense. However, with the confirmed delay in the premiere date of "Game of Thrones" Season 7, fans may be looking at a far more delayed release of "The Winds of Winter."
Winter is Coming...in January 2017?
However, according to more optimistic reports, "The Winds of Winter" is already being proofread, which would then allow for a January 2017 release date, with March being the latest. Spoilers of major deaths in the next installment have already been surfacing online, so the release might quite be as nearer as we think.
There have also been rumors stating that "The Winds of Winter" would be released simultaneously with the next and final installment in the series, "A Dream of Spring." All these should be taken with a grain of salt though, as there still has not been any official word from Martin himself.
