Best-selling author George R.R. Martin recently confirmed his attendance at the 76th World Science Fiction Convention, a.k.a. Worldcon 2018. However, he also announced that there will not be a reading of a chapter or any part of “The Winds of Winter.”
As fans can gather from the convention’s name, it is one of the biggest annual events where highly famous writers (like the “The Winds of Winter” author) and fans of sci-fi franchises come together to celebrate the genre. This year, Worldcon is happening on Aug. 16 to 20 in San Jose, California.
Aside from finishing “The Winds of Winter,” Martin is also working on several other books and TV series projects. His very tight schedule forced him to limit the book conventions he will be attending. But, as he wrote, Worldcon — which he assigned the name of "Not ConJose II" — is the one event does not want to miss. So he confirmed in a blog post last Aug. 6 that he will be attending the Worldcon 2018.
Meanwhile, in the comment section of the same blog post, a fan asked George R.R. Martin if he is going to hold a reading session for one of his upcoming books. Though the fan did not mention “The Winds of Winter” in particular, the author answered, “I’m not reading at Not ConJose II. I may do readings next year in Dublin, or at other conventions … I do enjoy reading, but I’ve read so many different chapters from ‘WINDS,’ I want to save some for the book.” WorldCon 2019 is happening in Dublin.
The author also confirmed that he will be at the Worldcon for the entire week. He will also hold book signing sessions but can only accommodate a limited number of people. Meanwhile, he also said there will be a “Wild Cards” panel, which he is possibly going to join if his schedule permits. So fans should not expect a lot of “The Winds of Winter” details to be dished out at Worldcon 2018.
It is also unlikely for George R.R. Martin to make any major announcement during Worldcon 2018 regarding the release date of “The Winds of Winter.” Besides, the author has already confirmed in an earlier blog post that the much-awaited penultimate “A Song of Ice and Fire” book is not getting released anytime this year.
