--- title: Game of Thrones: George R.R. Martin Jokes Winds of Winter description: Even George R.R. Martin knows the sixth installment in his Song of Ice and Fire series — The Winds of Winter — has been a long time coming. canonical: https://time.com/4888032/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-winds-of-winter-joke/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-04T19:26:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:46:10.677Z og:title: George R.R. Martin Trolled Himself Over 'Winds of Winter' Delay og:description: "The only place I was not recognized was my publisher's offices" og:url: https://time.com/4888032/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-winds-of-winter-joke/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82be47c9bbc7bc3b/6988d882e76ad22f3b62e9ba/george-rr-martin-winds-of-winter-joke.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Game-of-Thrones-Season-5-Premiere-George-R-R-Martin- og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: George R.R. Martin Trolled Himself Over 'Winds of Winter' Delay twitter:description: "The only place I was not recognized was my publisher's offices" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82be47c9bbc7bc3b/6988d882e76ad22f3b62e9ba/george-rr-martin-winds-of-winter-joke.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Even George R.R. Martin Is Trolling Himself Over the _Winds of Winter_ Delay > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. 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Steve Jennings/WireImage  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Aug 4, 2017 7:26 PM UTC [George R.R. Martin](http://time.com/4791258/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-interview/) may have recently [given fans hope](http://time.com/4871360/george-rr-martin-song-of-ice-and-fire-winds-of-winter-game-of-thrones/) that they’ll soon be able to get their hands on the sixth installment in his _Song of Ice and Fire_ series, but even he knows [_The Winds of Winter_](http://time.com/4326121/george-r-r-martin-the-winds-of-winter-new-chapter/)has been a long time coming. The author — whose books were adapted into the hit HBO show _Game of Thrones_ — took to Twitter Friday to poke fun at the more than six-year gap between his novels. Martin shared a screenshot of a text in which he joked that his publisher doesn’t know who he is anymore. “I am in New York City, and everywhere I go people know me, stop me on the street, ask for selfies. The only place I was not recognized was my publisher’s offices, where the security guards stopped me and demanded to see my ID.” **MORE:** **To stay up to date on everything** **_Game of Thrones_** **, follow our all-encompassing** [**Facebook**](https://www.facebook.com/WiCnet/?utm%5Fsource=time&utm%5Fmedium=article&utm%5Fcampaign=wicfacebook)[ **page**](https://www.facebook.com/WiCnet/?utm%5Fsource=time&utm%5Fmedium=article&utm%5Fcampaign=wicfacebook) **and sign up for our** [**exclusive** ](https://pages.email.ew.com/game-of-thrones?utm%5Fsource=time.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=gameofthronesnewsletter)[**newsletter**](https://pages.email.ew.com/game-of-thrones?utm%5Fsource=time.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=gameofthronesnewsletter)**.** > [](https://twitter.com/GRRMspeaking/status/893471977469607936) Here’s hoping he was dropping off a finished _Winds of Winter_ copy. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4888032/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-winds-of-winter-joke/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4888032/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-winds-of-winter-joke/"},"headline":"Even George R.R. 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