A co-worker of mine started watching House of the Dragon and asked me to borrow the Song of Ice and Fire books. I gave her the usual disclaimer about the fact that the series may never be finished and let her borrow them.
I am curious as to why GRRM's publisher doesn't cut ties with him or how he can get away with not doing anything with his main series. Is it because he has enough money that it wouldn't matter or that he publishes side books like Fire and Blood to make the publisher happy? Had he released Winds of Winter before season 6 it would've been massive. Granted, I'll still buy it when it comes out ( I am thinking Winds of Winter will come out eventually but I don't think book 7 will).
I honestly think what will happen is that the publisher will wait until he dies and then gather all his writing and hire someone to complete the books with it. I find it highly interesting that now GRRM is claiming the books will be different and attacking GOT. Although HBO is a fool to keep working with him because had he finished the series, GOT would've been much better at the end.
It's just the reality of the publishing industry. GRRM has made many millions of dollars. His publishers have made many millions of dollars. I'm sure they've paid some very large sums of money for his unpublished books (advances).
So, what are they going to do? Lock him in a room until he finishes the book? No, you can't force an author to write. Besides, coerced in some way, it would probably be crap.
So what's left? Are they going to sue GRRM to get their advance money back? Then all of the sudden they become "that publisher who sued their most successful author." As prospective author would YOU want to publish with a publisher who might sue you if you missed deadlines?
They may or may not have the option to pick a replacement author if GRRM dies.
It's basically a lose-lose for the publisher. All they can do is encourage GRRM to get off his butt and and finish the book.
Man's a septuagenarian neckbeard blob of Trump derangement syndrome, COVID derangement syndrome, and metastasized old-school east coast liberalism.
It's going to be crap whether they try to force an ending out of him or not.
Maybe they're waiting for GRRM to pop his clogs so they can find a more malleable author to take the project on?
His heirs might be more amenable to the proposition that someone who gives a fuck writes the remainder of the story.