George R.R. Martin
Co-executive producer George R.R. Martin arrives for the season premiere of HBO's "Game of Thrones" in San Francisco, California March 23, 2015. Reuters/Robert Galbraith

It is now next to impossible for “Winds of Winter” to be released before the premiere of “Game of Thrones” season 7, unless George RR Martin has secretly completed the book and handed the manuscript to his publishers for editing. The HBO TV series is all set to spoil more plotlines and events for the book fans.

The editing of one of the massive books that Martin writes takes about six months, to get it ready for publishing. Back in January last year, Martin revealed that the publishers were prepared to work at breakneck speed and get the book out in three months, after the author submits the completed manuscript.

Now, April is almost over, and there is no announcement by Martin about the completion of his book. That means the publishers won’t be able to deliver it before the premiere episode of “Game of Thrones” season 7, which airs in July this year.

Martin had hoped to have “Winds of Winter” out before the premiere episode of the sixth season of the popular TV series. However, despite his best efforts, his writing didn’t go as quickly as he had hoped.

Last year the author pointed out that the show and the books have diverged to such an extent that there may not be too many book spoilers in it. However, the show did reveal major scenes from the upcoming book, like the secret behind the name Hodor and fate of popular characters Jon Snow and Daenerys.

The TV series is once again poised to do the same this year, and reveal more scenes that should have been out in the books first. There will be some surprises in store for the book fans though, as the characters that are still alive in “A Song of Ice and Fire” may have an interesting adventure, while their journey came to an abrupt end on the show. But, most of the other storylines are expected to follow a similar path, with a more elaborate arc that the book format allows the writer.

Martin also admitted last year that he does a lot of rework on his books. So, perhaps he is doing his best to keep his work fresh and entertaining after “Game of Thrones” revealed many of the scenes he has written already. With the next season just around the corner, the author may plan some more changes to “Winds of Winter,” which could lead to more delay in the release date, but on the bright side; the fans may get a more interesting and engaging book.

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