'The Winds of Winter' release date: George R.R. Martin races against 'GOT' season 6 premiere for book's publication

George RR Martin[Photo credit: George RR Martin | Twitter]

At the moment, it is still unclear which of "The Winds of Winter" or "Game of Thrones" season 6, both highly anticipated and often talked about, will be out first. But as per persisting rumors, the odds point to the former.

George R.R. Martin, who had to miss out on various events just to get it done, has shied away from anything that will divert his attention away from the book. He previously vowed the book will be out before the new season premieres.

Just recently, there were reports that a translator by the name of Michal Jakuszewski was tapped to translate the manuscript for "The Winds of Winter" from English to Polish around December. If this is true, the book should either be done by now or is close to the last stop.

As earlier rumors dictate, the latest book in the bestselling "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga will be out before April next year, which will be the month "Game of Thrones" will be back on HBO for a new season.

Martin hasn't hinted at his progress but the last time he spoke about it was just a few days ago, when he announced that Cinemax released a pilot order for his werewolf novella "The Skin Trade."

In his blog called Not A Blog, the 67-year-old author said that he will not be involved in the series as far as writing and any other creative roles he fits into. "While I would have loved to write the script and run the show myself, that was never really in the cards," Martin wrote.

"I have this book to finish. You know the one," he went on to say, referring to "The Winds of Winter." While it seems that Martin has all hands on deck for the sixth "Game of Thrones" volume, media outlets agree he still won't make it to a 2015 publication.

If anything, the earliest will be January 2016. But until Martin says it is ready (he has adamantly said he will personally deliver the news of the book's completion), the publication of "The Winds of Winter" remains a huge mystery.