"The Winds of Winter" is rumored to be released later this month, according to the latest reports. The sixth book in George R.R. Martin's famed "A Series of Ice and Fire" series is allegedly being prepared for publication.

Early this year, Martin broke the news about the book's delay. Expressing his extreme disappointment, the 57-year-old novelist shared to fans how he failed to deliver deadline after deadline.

"The Winds of Winter" was supposed to be released by March this year, before "Game of Thrones" season 6 premieres. This meant he needed to have the book done by October, as per the request of the publishers.

The bestselling author did not make it to that date. He was then given deadlines that were pushed further and further.

From what Martin said, it can be understood that publishers need at least six months to publish the "The Winds of Winter," seeing that they asked for the book six months prior to the supposed March publication.

If the book is to be released in May, the publishers should have acquired the complete manuscript for a while now. However, as of February, the author is still writing the book.

While Martin suggested in his blog post that publishers are on standby for the completion of "The Winds of Winter" and that they are ready to publish the book the minute it is done, it still a tall order to release the book in May, unless the book will be released in small quantities first.

The prospect of "The Winds of Winter" making a mega-surprise launch this month is definitely something fans hope to transpire. They have been waiting for years for the books and its absence allowed "Game of Thrones" to overtake it.

Despite this, fans of the books who also watch the HBO juggernaut should not worry about spoilers. According to reports, although Jon Snow is being built up as the main character for the series, Martin is reportedly looking to put Stannis Baratheon (who is already dead on the TV show) at the vanguard,