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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cthulhu's Librarian" data-source="post: 1149981" data-attributes="member: 11064">From the start, it has been a series of 6 books. Just recently, GRRM has said it MAY end up being 7, but that isn't certain yet, and it definitly won't go beyond 7.  The confusion of 3 vs. 6 books may stem from the fact that he probably had a standard 3 book contract for the first half of the series, then signed a second contract for the remaining 3 books. (this is just speculation on my part, based on how we used to sign contacts at HarperCollins. Yes, I know he is published by Bantam, but things are pretty standard in publishing across the major publishing houses) Most major publishing houses use 3 book contracts for name authors who are writing a series of books as a way of limiting costs. Advances are paid with a portion of the $ on signing, and if you sign a 3 book contract vs. a 6 book contract, less $ is paid upfront (at HarperCollins we paid a % of the advance upon signing, a % upon delivery of the manuscript, and the balance upon publication). Also, if an author doesn't deliver on all the books in the contract (which happens more often than you'd think), there is less $ paid out that you have to try to get back or write off as a loss.  Also, a 3 book contract is good for the author. If your first book in a series is a huge hit (as GRRMs was), you can negotiate a better advance for the remaining books on the second contract. While rare, it's not unheard of for an authors agent to shop a series to a different publishing house mid-series in order to get better pay for the author.</blockquote>

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