Wiki says:
[quote]Delays in publication
Despite original predictions of possible completion in late 2006, Martin has not finished the book as of March 2011[update]. Martin’s blog has featured sporadic updates on his progress, and in January 2008 he posted an update on his website affirming his vigilant commitment to finishing the book.[14] In early 2008, publisher Spectra Books (a division of Random House) announced that A Dance with Dragons would be released on September 30, 2008,[18] but Martin stated this would only be possible if he finished writing by the end of June, before a trip to Spain and Portugal,[19] and he did not meet this goal.[20]
On February 19, 2009, Martin posted on his website, “I am trying to finish the book by June. I think I can do that. If I do, A Dance with Dragons will likely be published in September or October.”[2] On June 22, 2009, the author expressed “guarded optimism” in respect to his progress on the book, while still not confirming a publication date.[21] When asked in a July 2009 interview with FREE! Magazine how the book was going, Martin stated, “It is going pretty well, actually. I am hoping to finish it by September or October; that is my goal.”[22] On October 6, 2009, Martin said that his working manuscript for A Dance With Dragons had just exceeded 1,100 pages of completed chapters, plus “considerably more in partials, fragments, and roughs.”[23] He noted that this made the upcoming novel longer than his earlier books A Game of Thrones and A Feast for Crows, and nearly as long as A Clash of Kings.[23]
On March 2, 2010, Martin remarked that he had reached 1,311 manuscript pages, making Dance the second longest book in the series at that point, behind only the 1,521-page manuscript of A Storm of Swords.[24] On July 8, 2010, Martin spoke at a conference and confirmed the current length of the book to be 1,400 manuscript pages. He expressed his disappointment that he was unable to completely finish the book by the conference, although he would not speculate how soon the book would be completed after his return home on July 11.[25] At the same conference, Martin also confirmed that he has written one Sansa, one Arya, and two Arianne chapters for the planned sixth novel, Winds of Winter, and has transferred two Cersei chapters from that book into A Dance with Dragons.[26] On August 7, 2010, Martin confirmed that he had completed 8 POVs, excluding prologue and epilogue.[27]
At the New York Comic Con on October 10, 2010, Spectra senior editor Anne Groell announced that Martin had only five chapters remaining to finish, with sections of the chapters already completed. She stated her desire to have the manuscript completed by December.[28] In a December 2010 interview with Bear Swarm, Martin stated that he almost has A Dance With Dragons completed.[29]
The delays surrounding A Dance with Dragons have polarized some of Martin’s fan base, with some questioning his commitment to finishing the series.[30]
On March 3, 2011, the release date of the novel was announced as July 12, 2011, with Martin making a statement on his website:
Yes, I know. You've all seen publication dates before: dates in 2007, 2008, 2009. None of those were ever hard dates, however. Most of them... well, call it wishful thinking, boundless optimism, cockeyed dreams, honest mistakes, whatever you like.
This date is different. This date is real.
Barring tsunamis, general strikes, world wars, or asteroid strikes, you will have the novel in your hands on July 12. I hope you like it.
(For what it's worth, the book's a monster. Think A STORM OF SWORDS.)
The dragons are coming. Prepare to dance.
And hey... thanks for waiting.
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