Regular readers of my blog will know that I like to keep up to date with writing, publishing and reading-related news. This week, my favourite story relates to George RR Martin, author of the wildly popular ‘A Song of Fire and Ice’ series, on which the equally successful Game of Thrones TV show is based.

At the start of the month, George announced to fans via his website that he had missed his end-of-2015 deadline for his sixth novel, The Winds of Winter, which his fans have been eagerly anticipating. No doubt he was nervous to make the declaration, because he has faced criticism before for his pace of writing. But he was delighted to find an outpouring of understanding and encouragement from his fans, in more than 1,000 comments on his blog post. The message is clear: the readers love his work, respect his creative process, and will wait as long as they need to wait.

This story highlights a new culture in readership.

First, there is the fact that readers carry some clout! The author feels under pressure to deliver his manuscript, so that he can keep pace with the release of a new series of Game of Thrones in the spring – the television show will now be now running ahead of the story in the novels (but it is also divergent in many ways). Of course readers – we purists who honour book over adaptation – want to read any plot point before seeing it televised. Hence the pressure to please the readers.

But who is creating the pressure? Not the readers themselves, it would seem, so much as the machinery that powers the publishing process. In our modern culture, we demand more, more, more and now, now, now, and there is a fear that if a trend has begun, if something has become popular, one must drive forwards that trend or it will die a death. But George RR Martin’s fans are clearly loyal,and prepared to be patient.

The author responded to his supportive readers thus:

Enjoy the show. Enjoy the books. Meanwhile, I’ll keep writing. Chapter at a time. Page at a time. Word at a time. That’s all I know how to do.[Source]

I think he perfectly encapsulates the reality of writing. Good writing takes as long as it takes. You move forwards, always – you cannot stand still. But some books take longer to write than others. And what matters most of all is that the book is the best it can be – which is always the product of long hours, and never the product of rushing under pressure. In sum, quality matters far more than speed.

This news story is a perfect example of something I’ve noticed myself in recent years: readers are becoming intrinsic to the writing and publishing process. A couple of decades ago, you wrote a book (in isolation), handed it over to a publisher and perhaps, if you were lucky, received some personal correspondence from readers via your agent/publisher. Now, though, readers are much more involved – and important. Beta readers give opinions on drafts. Book bloggers spotlight and discuss books online. Many readers posts reviews on popular sites like Amazon. And with authors now active online, there are all kinds of reader–author interactions.

I have found, like George RR Martin, that readers are a wonderfully supportive group. While I began my writing journey writing purely for myself, thanks to readers I now write for many people worldwide as well, which is a pleasure and a privilege. Thank you to every one of you who supports me!