<P> Early during the development of the TV series , Martin told major plot points to producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss . ( The New York Times reported in 2011 that , at age 62 , Martin was by all accounts in robust health . ) Martin was confident he would have published at least The Winds of Winter before the TV series overtook him . Nevertheless , there was general concern about whether Martin would be able to stay ahead of the show . As a result , head writers Benioff and Weiss learned more future plot points from Martin in 2013 to help them set up the show 's new possible seasons . This included the end stories for all the core characters . Deviations from the books ' storylines are also being considered , but a two - year show hiatus to wait for new books is not an option for them as the child actors continue to grow and the show 's popularity would wane . Martin indicated he would not permit another writer to finish the book series . On January 2 , 2016 , Martin confirmed that the sixth volume would not be published before the start of the sixth season of the HBO series . </P>
<P> Early during the development of the TV series , Martin told major plot points to producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss . ( The New York Times reported in 2011 that , at age 62 , Martin was by all accounts in robust health . ) Martin was confident he would have published at least The Winds of Winter before the TV series overtook him . Nevertheless , there was general concern about whether Martin would be able to stay ahead of the show . As a result , head writers Benioff and Weiss learned more future plot points from Martin in 2013 to help them set up the show 's new possible seasons . This included the end stories for all the core characters . Deviations from the books ' storylines are also being considered , but a two - year show hiatus to wait for new books is not an option for them as the child actors continue to grow and the show 's popularity would wane . Martin indicated he would not permit another writer to finish the book series . On January 2 , 2016 , Martin confirmed that the sixth volume would not be published before the start of the sixth season of the HBO series . </P>
when did the books end in game of thrones
when did the books end in game of thrones
before the start of the sixth season
before the start of the sixth season