<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 On January 2 , 2016 , Martin confirmed that the sixth volume would not be published before the start of the sixth season of the HBO series .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
before the start of the sixth season