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. (Photo : REUTERS/Robert Galbraith)
With all the rumors that have been surrounding the release date of George R.R. Martin's book "Winds of Winter", the author finally responded on the speculations. Martin's major concern is Clickbait journalism that draws an inference in every word he says concerning the upcoming novel.
In an interview with Observer, Martin talked about the ending of the "Game of Thrones" book series in which he pointed out that "Winds of Winter" will be followed by "A Dream of Spring" as the final entry, the Golden Age of Television, and such headlines.
Although every publication reported on Martin's assertion that the end of "Game of Thrones" would be 'bittersweet' and in line with the end of "Lord of the Rings," the most fascinating segment of the interview was his denouncing of clickbait journalism, iDigital Times reported. He decried how such journalism has an endless desire to pick through his words like chicken entrails, digging for implied meaning that might somehow point towards the launch date for "Winds of Winter" or any other hidden spoiler.
When asked about how such a level of scrutiny from journalists changes the way he does what he does, Martin offered a thoughtful perspective on the current media environment. He acknowledged that the endless desire for "Game of Thrones" spoilers like "Winds of Winter" has made him careful about what he utters.
Martin said, "Yeah, I do have to parse my words. Some of it, frankly, is - and I do not necessarily mean this is decrying you, but may some of your colleagues - that this age of internet journalism is crazy. The clickbait sites take things that I utter, and I read headlines that appear to carry no association to what I actually say."
The release date for "Winds of Winter" remains unknown even as fans get anxious to have a taste of the 'bittersweet' release of "Game of Thrones" book.
