[Slum]

If he didn't want to become an object of scrutiny and derision, he should have stayed off the internets and kept his private life private.

It's teh INTERNET, George!

[Werthead]

Quote

Personally I think it was a great message by GRRM. Like... I believe it was Werthead... pointed out, authors writting a book in a year used to be rare, taking 2 or 3 years or even longer to write a book isn't actually that strange.

Generally, only first-time writers trying to make a name or people writing short novels are in a position where they have to release a book every twelve months. And to get a 600-page fantasy novel out in a year is a massive undertaking which involves cancelling holidays, putting other projects on hold and having very little of a social life for that time. Scott Bakker's introduction to The Warrior-Prophet where he explains the meltdown he suffered getting that book done in a year is fairly typical. And of course Bakker took three years to write the fourth book in the series.

With their initial success, Rothfuss and Lynch have already throttled back to a book every 2-3 years and Abercrombie has said his rate will probably drop off at some point, maybe to a book every 18 months rather than every 12.

Erikson is very much the exception, even now, in releasing a thousand-page novel every year. And to do that he has to write non-stop for four hours a day, every day, without interruption, for ten to twelve months. That's a rate of productivity that is very hard to keep up and kudos to Erikson for managing it for the better part of a decade. But even he's said that it's too draining and the second The Crippled God is done he's dropping to a saner rate of production for the sequel and prequel trilogies.

dktorode, on Feb 20 2009, 12:55 PM, said:

He was a writer for the Beauty and the Beast tv show.....not allot of money thrown at tv writers back then.

At least up until AFFC came out, GRRM said he had made more money from his TV work than all of his novels, including the first three ASoIaF books, put together.

Quote

the people who made him rich and afforded him the lifestyle he so obviously enjoys are let down time and again.

But if he released a shit book because he'd rushed it to appease the fans and publishers, would that not also disappoint them? And as someone else mentioned, GRRM attained the lifestyle he now enjoys (his two houses, funding for his trips to Worldcon etc) a long time before AGoT was first published. The series has made him a lot of money, but if he'd never written it he would still have a decent lifestyle.

[dktorode]

Werthead, on Feb 20 2009, 03:18 PM, said:

At least up until AFFC came out, GRRM said he had made more money from his TV work than all of his novels, including the first three ASoIaF books, put together.

I remember Beauty and the beast.
Lol @ Ron Perlman and Linda fucking Hamilton.

This post has been edited by dktorode: 20 February 2009 - 01:41 PM

[Abyss]

Bubba, on Feb 19 2009, 10:26 PM, said:

Who's George Martin?........an author?

Pseudo-rep powers activated.

Traveller, on Feb 20 2009, 03:54 AM, said:

I think it's pretty funny that it's taken him this LONG to reply to his detractors

MORE pseudo-rep sent.

Werthead, on Feb 20 2009, 08:18 AM, said:

Quote

Personally I think it was a great message by GRRM. Like... I believe it was Werthead... pointed out, authors writting a book in a year used to be rare, taking 2 or 3 years or even longer to write a book isn't actually that strange.

Generally, only first-time writers trying to make a name or people writing short novels are in a position where they have to release a book every twelve months. And to get a 600-page fantasy novel out in a year is a massive undertaking ...

And this is why Jim Butcher is my hero. Two novels a year. of course, they tend to be 300-400 pages long... widely spaced... in a big font... oh you deceptive publishing BASTARDS>>>

Quote

Quote

the people who made him rich and afforded him the lifestyle he so obviously enjoys are let down time and again.

But if he released a shit book because he'd rushed it to appease the fans and publishers, would that not also disappoint them? ...

Well that is the trick - he takes a few years after his third book to put out FfC... and it's okay but probably his weakest so far, but he tells the world 'Hey, don't worry! It's just sort of like part 1 of 2 and the second half is practically sitting in my Inbox just waiting for me to hit 'send' so the publisher can hammer out printed copies for you any minute now!!!!' And a year passes. And so on... it's not so much hate as frustration from the basement dwellers.

And i suppose an underlying fear that he will simply never finish the series for whatever reason. Or do a crap job of it.

dktorode, on Feb 20 2009, 08:40 AM, said:

Werthead, on Feb 20 2009, 03:18 PM, said:

At least up until AFFC came out, GRRM said he had made more money from his TV work than all of his novels, including the first three ASoIaF books, put together.

I remember Beauty and the beast.
Lol @ Ron Perlman and Linda fucking Hamilton.

That show suffered from a distinct lack of automatic weapons.

- Abyss, because romance is better with gunfights in it...

This post has been edited by Abyss: 20 February 2009 - 02:57 PM

[Slow Ben]

I dont think people would be making such a big deal out of this if he hadnt put in the back cover of AFFC that ADWD would be out about next year. so people expected it soon. If he'd have just said nothing about when its coming out we'd still be waiting impatiently, but without so much venom.

[zwinders71]

Like with anything the people who love GRRM will love him and people who like to bitch will bitch. I am done drinking the Kool-Aid though. I will read the book when it comes out but am no longer waiting on the edge of my seat for it. His first 3 books will always have a place in my heart because they got me hooked on fantasy again. I am just not as excited about it as I was. Fantasies boat has left the dock with guys like SE, Lynch, Sanderson, and Ambercrobie at the wheel. GRRM is to busy playing with his miniatures and swords to hop on board.

[wolverine]

I think that GRRM's first three books in ASOIF are the best fantasy I have ever read. IMO a FFC stunk (link to my review I wrote in drunken angst http://www.amazon.com/review/RFGRST44NUD5D...wasThisHelpful).

I hope he is taking so long to avoid the suckiness presented in a FFC.

[Aptorian]

OMG wolverine is in this thread?!

Who would win in a fight between you and Dassem Ultor?

[QuickTidal]

Slow Ben, on Feb 20 2009, 10:39 AM, said:

I dont think people would be making such a big deal out of this if he hadnt put in the back cover of AFFC that ADWD would be out about next year. so people expected it soon. If he'd have just said nothing about when its coming out we'd still be waiting impatiently, but without so much venom.

I think this is the route of the issue. Hit the nail on the head. Don't tell your readers that the next book is practically done and ready to rock if it isn't. 4 years down the road and it's still not out. I don't really personally care. I'll read it whenever it comes out, and I don't begrudge the man his time to make it right...but don't sit there and tell your readers it is coming soon when it isn't. Just let them wonder.

Example: Dan Brown's next Robert Langdon book was supposed to come out relatively soon after DaVinci Code got big. It is now SIX years down the road and no Solomon Key yet...but there's no bitching cause Brown, nor Doubleday said when it is coming out.

Same thing with Scott Lynch's Republic of Thieves being delayed. No bitching cause no one dangled release dates.

It was stupid of The publisher to announce any release dates that weren't solid, and even stupider of GRRM to announce on his website that ADWD was nearly done because he split AFFC up....so while I feel he has a right to complain about the "venom" of the scene, I feel he has less right than he might have to do so because he made boneheaded choices.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 21 February 2009 - 01:50 AM

[polishgenius]

Aptorian, on Feb 20 2009, 10:05 PM, said:

Who would win in a fight between you and Dassem Ultor?

Batman.

Duh.



On subject, I sympathise with him, really. The setting of an original date was a mistake, but people make those - and it's not as if he said "this is when it's coming out", he said "I reckon I'll probably have it done by then". I'd really rather he takes his time and writes the best book he can than we end up with what's happened with Erikson, where his rate of output seems to be having more and more of an adverse effect on his writing since book 5. Sure, we're complaining now about the wait, but when both series are done, people are going to note the dip in Malazan (I know not everyone agrees there is one or where it is, but I know quite a lot more who do than don't, and either 3 or 5 is generally the point where it starts to happen), so hopefully after the Feast debacle Martin will put in his all to get it back to par and it won't happen here.

On Butcher- the man's a hero. Ten Dresdens with no noticable dip in quality, plus the Codex books...


On the subject of slow series releases in general, can someone go and beat on John Cassaday until he finishes Planetary #27, then pop round to Warren Ellis' to get him to write some more Fell? Ta. >_>

[Illuyankas]

WHY ARE YOU NOT WRITING GEORGE

WHY

DO YOU NOT LIKE HAVING FANS

STOP REWRITING ADWD, IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH THE FIRST TIME

I WANT TO READ THE BOOK BEFORE MY DEATH, LET ALONE YOURS

[Werthead]

Quote

I think this is the route of the issue. Hit the nail on the head. Don't tell your readers that the next book is practically done and ready to rock if it isn't. 4 years down the road and it's still not out. I don't really personally care. I'll read it whenever it comes out, and I don't begrudge the man his time to make it right...but don't sit there and tell your readers it is coming soon when it isn't. Just let them wonder.

I agree. I'm thinking no dates whatsoever will be given for Book 6 at all.

Quote

Example: Dan Brown's next Robert Langdon book was supposed to come out relatively soon after DaVinci Code got big. It is now SIX years down the road and no Solomon Key yet...but there's no bitching cause Brown, nor Doubleday said when it is coming out.

True, but the new Brown also isn't resolving any cliffhanger endings. Also, I think a lot of people now regard the fuss over the DaVinci Code as a bit embarassing because it was, let's be honest, at best a cheesy hokum thriller which didn't entirely make sense and misrepresented a shitload of history for the sake of it. And it sold enough by itself to keep the publishers going for another decade before they need another hit on that scale.

Quote

Same thing with Scott Lynch's Republic of Thieves being delayed. No bitching cause no one dangled release dates.

There's been LOTS of bitching about it, to the extent that someone started some bizarre rumours about Scott deciding to give up writing to spend more time playing WoW.

However, that is nothing to the bitching Rothfuss has gotten which on another planet of classlessness. The main delay behind THE WISE MAN'S FEAR is because his mother died whilst writing it, which is a huge event in most people's lives. Melanie Rawn gave up writing for ten years because her mother passed away and Robert E. Howard went off and blew his brains out when his mother slipped into a terminal coma. Yet some 'fans' decided that Rothfuss was only allowed to grieve for a limited period of them and then needed to be back at the PC producing their entertainment ASAP. Nice.

[Illuyankas]

This is going to sound insensitive, callous and cruel (the thing is, I am, so that's the way it comes out) but that? That's a perfectly valid reason to stop writing for a while.

WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE, GEORGE

[Morgoth]

Illuyankas, on Feb 21 2009, 04:24 PM, said:

This is going to sound insensitive, callous and cruel (the thing is, I am, so that's the way it comes out) but that? That's a perfectly valid reason to stop writing for a while.

WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE, GEORGE

quoting Bill Hicks again, are we?

[alestar]

I was originally among those frustrated fans awaiting the release of ADWD.

It boggles my mind that he seems so disinterested in working on this series, since it is his defining work to date. We would never have heard of GRRM if all he wrote were those Wild Card books, etc. It would seem in his best interest to keep moving forward on this project, while he has everyone's attention. That's just what I think...

IMHO, FFC was quite disappointing, compared to the first 3 books. ADWD had better be a kick-ass book, or GRRM may find himself with a much smaller and much less captivated audience than he has at present (and good luck selling miniatures and calendars when no one is reading the books...).

For me, the silver-lining: because of this I discovered SE and the Malazan books...so, thanks George!

Take your time, I've got plenty of great reading for now!



...)

[Arthur Dayne]

With a name like Arthur Dayne, it's slightly less than obvious that i'm a fan of your series George, but if you're not going to update your own website for a year at a time after dangling the freedom carrot in our faces, you deserve all the flak, and more. Nobody messes with Baby.

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[Werthead]

Illuyankas, on Feb 21 2009, 03:24 PM, said:

This is going to sound insensitive, callous and cruel (the thing is, I am, so that's the way it comes out) but that? That's a perfectly valid reason to stop writing for a while.

WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE, GEORGE

He's never stopped working on the book, so why would he need an excuse?

[Aptorian]

Wert I know you're a fan of GRRM so I thought I would point out there's a lot of trolling going on in this thread. Don't take it all so serious.

Next to Goodkind bashing, making jibes at GRRM is a Malazanites favorite litterary pass-time... that and eating bacon. And yes, eating bacon is a litterary pass-time.

EDIT: But actually, Wert already knows this, so who is really trolling?!

WHO... WAS... PHONE...!!

[Arthur Dayne]

Mmmmmm Bacon. I bet GRRM would eat bacon rather than finish ADWD. ALOT of bacon.

[Slum]

I was all hyped up for ADWD back in Sept./Oct. but now....I just don't care when it comes out. There's plenty other of quality stuff to read nowadays.

I haven't visited his site in ages...frankly there's not a lot there that's of interest to me.

I'm sure someone on here will let me know when he leaks another spoiler...