Rise to Success: Career Highlights of George R. R. Martin
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how George R. R. Martin made an impact.
George R. R. Martin is an American author, television writer, and producer, most famous for his epic fantasy novel series *A Song of Ice and Fire*, adapted into the acclaimed TV series *Game of Thrones*. He's also involved in the *Wild Cards* anthology and contributed to the worldbuilding of the video game *Elden Ring*. Martin's work is celebrated for its complex characters, intricate plots, and realistic portrayal of medieval-inspired political intrigue and warfare, significantly impacting the fantasy genre and popular culture.
November 1963: Letter Published in Fantastic Four
In November 1963, a letter written by George R. R. Martin to the editor of Fantastic Four was printed in issue #20, marking his first published contribution to the comic book world.
1970: Earned B.S. in Journalism
In 1970, Martin earned a B.S. in journalism with a minor in history from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, graduating summa cum laude.
1970: First Science Fiction Short Story Sale
In 1970, at age 21, Martin began selling science fiction short stories professionally.
February 1971: "The Hero" Published
In February 1971, Martin's first sold story, "The Hero", was published in Galaxy magazine.
1971: Completed M.S. in Journalism
In 1971, Martin completed his M.S. in Journalism, also from Medill at Northwestern University.
1973: Hired as Tournament Director
In 1973, Martin was hired as a tournament director for the Continental Chess Association, allowing him to work as a writer five days a week.
1975: "for a single yesterday" Inclusion in Anthology
In 1975, Martin's story "...for a single yesterday" was selected for inclusion in Epoch, a science fiction anthology edited by Roger Elwood and Robert Silverberg.
1976: English and Journalism Instructor at Clarke University
From 1976, Martin worked as an English and journalism instructor at Clarke University (then Clarke College).
1976: Completed First Novel
In 1976, Martin completed his first novel, Dying of the Light, right before he moved to Dubuque.
1977: Southwest Regional Director
From 1977, Martin served as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Southwest Regional Director.
1977: Dying of the Light Published
In 1977, Martin's first novel, Dying of the Light, was published. The success of Star Wars also impacted the publishing industry.
1978: Writer In Residence at Clarke University
From 1978, Martin became Writer In Residence at Clarke College.
1979: Resignation and Move to Santa Fe
In 1979, Martin resigned from his job and moved from Dubuque to Santa Fe, New Mexico, seeking to become a full-time writer.
1979: Sandkings
In 1979, Martin wrote Sandkings, which he considered one of his best science fiction-horror hybrids.
1979: End of SFWA Regional Directorship
In 1979, Martin's term as the SFWA Southwest Regional Director ended.
1979: End of Clarke University Residency
In 1979, Martin's time as Writer In Residence at Clarke College concluded.
1980: Nightflyers
In 1980, Martin wrote the novella Nightflyers, which later had its screen and television rights purchased.
1982: Fevre Dream Published
In 1982, Martin published the vampire novel Fevre Dream, set in the 19th century on the Mississippi River.
1983: The Armageddon Rag Published, Career Impact
In 1983, Martin published The Armageddon Rag, whose commercial failure significantly damaged his career as a novelist.
1984: Offer to Write Haviland Tuf Collection
In 1984, Betsy Mitchell of Baen Books offered Martin a chance to create a collection of Haviland Tuf adventures, which he accepted after The Armageddon Rag's failure.
1984: Nightflyers Rights Purchased
In 1984, Vista purchased the screen and television rights to Martin's novella Nightflyers.
1987: Portraits of His Children Published, Wild Cards Series
In 1987, Martin published a collection of short horror stories, Portraits of His Children, and continued overseeing the development of the Wild Cards book series.
1987: Nightflyers Film Adaptation
In 1987, the film adaptation of Martin's novella Nightflyers was released, with Martin co-writing the screenplay.
1989: Co-Supervising Producer for Beauty and the Beast
In 1989, Martin became the co-supervising producer for the TV show Beauty and the Beast, and wrote 14 of its episodes.
1991: Return to Novel Writing
In 1991, George R. R. Martin returned to writing novels after becoming frustrated with TV production limitations, such as budgets and episode lengths. Inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien, he desired to write an epic fantasy without the constraints of television.
1996: SFWA Vice-President
From 1996, Martin served as the vice-president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
1996: A Game of Thrones Published
In 1996, George R. R. Martin's first novel in the series "A Song of Ice and Fire", titled "A Game of Thrones", was published.
1998: End of SFWA Vice-Presidency
In 1998, Martin's term as the vice-president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) ended.
2001: "Night of the Vampyres" Published
In 2001, Martin's political-military fiction piece, "Night of the Vampyres", was collected in Harry Turtledove's anthology The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century.
March 2010: HBO Greenlights Game of Thrones
In March 2010, HBO made the decision to greenlight the "Game of Thrones" series for production, after initial issues with the pilot episode.
June 2010: Production Start of Game of Thrones
In June 2010, production for the "Game of Thrones" series was scheduled to begin after HBO greenlit the series in March 2010.
April 17, 2011: Game of Thrones Premieres on HBO
On April 17, 2011, the first episode of "Game of Thrones", titled "Winter Is Coming", premiered on HBO in the United States and Canada, initially drawing 2.2 million viewers.
April 19, 2011: HBO Orders Second Season of Game of Thrones
On April 19, 2011, just two days after the series premiere, HBO ordered a second season of "Game of Thrones".
June 2011: Wild Cards Volumes Published
As of June 2011, 21 Wild Cards volumes had been published in the series.
2011: Game of Thrones Television Series
In 2011, A Song of Ice and Fire was adapted into the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Game of Thrones.
April 1, 2012: Second Season of Game of Thrones Premieres
On April 1, 2012, the second season of "Game of Thrones" premiered in the United States on HBO.
April 10, 2012: HBO Orders Third Season of Game of Thrones
On April 10, 2012, nine days after the second season's premiere, HBO renewed "Game of Thrones" for a third season.
June 3, 2012: Second Season of Game of Thrones Concludes
On June 3, 2012, the second season of "Game of Thrones" concluded in the United States on HBO, with viewership rising to 4.2 million by the season finale.
July 2012: Production Begins for Game of Thrones Season 3
In July 2012, production for the third season of "Game of Thrones" began.
November 24, 2012: Filming wraps for Season 3
On November 24, 2012, filming concluded in Iceland for the third season of Game of Thrones, which is based on the first half of the novel "A Storm of Swords".
2012: Tor Contract for Wild Cards Volume 23
In early 2012, Martin signed another Tor contract for the 23rd Wild Cards volume, High Stakes.
March 31, 2013: Game of Thrones Season 3 Premieres on HBO
On March 31, 2013, the third season of "Game of Thrones" premiered on HBO.
April 2, 2013: HBO Orders Fourth Season of Game of Thrones
On April 2, 2013, HBO ordered the fourth season of "Game of Thrones", just two days after the third-season premiere.
June 9, 2013: Game of Thrones Season 3 Concludes on HBO
On June 9, 2013, the third season of "Game of Thrones" concluded on HBO, drawing 14.2 million viewers.
July 2013: Filming Begins for Game of Thrones Season 4
In July 2013, filming commenced for the fourth season of "Game of Thrones".
November 21, 2013: Filming Completed for Game of Thrones Season 4
On November 21, 2013, filming for the fourth season of "Game of Thrones" was completed.
April 6, 2014: Game of Thrones Season 4 Premieres
On April 6, 2014, the fourth season of "Game of Thrones" premiered in the United States on HBO.
April 8, 2014: HBO Orders Fifth and Sixth Seasons
On April 8, 2014, following the success of season four, HBO ordered both the fifth and sixth seasons of "Game of Thrones".
June 15, 2014: Game of Thrones Season 4 Concludes
On June 15, 2014, the fourth season of "Game of Thrones" concluded. With its fourth season, Game of Thrones became the most-watched HBO series in history, averaging 18.4 million viewers across multiple platforms.
July 2014: Filming Begins for Seasons 5 and 6
In July 2014, filming began for the fifth and sixth seasons of "Game of Thrones".
2014: Fundraising Campaign on Prizeo
In 2014, George R. R. Martin launched a campaign on Prizeo to raise funds for Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and the Food Depot of Santa Fe. The campaign raised $502,549.
2014: Martin Uses WordStar on MS-DOS
In 2014, George R. R. Martin revealed in a BBC interview that he uses WordStar editor software on an MS-DOS computer for his writing, disliking spell-check and internet distractions. He uses a separate computer for internet tasks.
2014: Low Ball Published
In 2014, Low Ball, the 22nd volume of Wild Cards, was published by Tor Books.
January 2015: Pledge to Meow Wolf
In January 2015, George R. R. Martin pledged $2.7 million toward a new art space for Meow Wolf, an arts collective in Santa Fe.
July 2015: Filming Begins for Game of Thrones Season 6
In July 2015, filming for the sixth season of "Game of Thrones" commenced with a budget over $100 million for the entire season, spanning five countries.
August 2016: High Stakes Released
In August 2016, High Stakes, the 23rd Wild Cards volume, was released.
August 31, 2016: Filming Begins for Season 7
On August 31, 2016, filming for the seventh season of "Game of Thrones" began at Titanic Studios in Belfast, delayed due to necessary weather conditions.
February 2017: Filming Ends for Season 7
In February 2017, filming concluded for the seventh season of "Game of Thrones", which consisted of seven episodes and largely contained original content.
2017: Funding of The Miskatonic Scholarship
In 2017, George R. R. Martin announced that he was funding The Miskatonic Scholarship. This scholarship allows a writer of Lovecraftian cosmic horror to attend the Odyssey Writing Workshop.
2017: Executive Producer for 'Who Fears Death' Adaptation
In 2017, George R. R. Martin confirmed his role as an executive producer for the HBO television series adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's 2010 science fantasy novel, 'Who Fears Death'.
2017: Recalled Writing Hybrids
In 2017, Martin recalled that he had started writing science fiction-horror hybrids in the late 1970s.
April 2018: Blog Moved to Own Website
In April 2018, George R. R. Martin moved his blog, 'Not a Blog', from Livejournal to his own website.
2019: Game of Thrones Concludes
In 2019, the television series Game of Thrones, adapted from A Song of Ice and Fire, concluded its run.
2020: Pitch of 'Roadmarks' to HBO
In 2020, George R.R. Martin pitched the TV adaptation of Roger Zelazny's 'Roadmarks' to HBO.
January 2021: Animated Drama Series Announced
In January 2021, an animated drama series was announced as being in development at HBO Max.
February 2021: Development of 'Roadmarks' TV Adaptation
In February 2021, it was reported that George R. R. Martin and Kalinda Vazquez were developing a TV adaptation of Roger Zelazny's 'Roadmarks', which Martin had pitched to HBO in 2020.
March 2021: Overall Deal with HBO
In March 2021, George R. R. Martin signed an overall deal with HBO.
June 2022: Jon Snow Sequel Series in Development
In June 2022, reports indicated that a Jon Snow sequel series, with Kit Harington reprising his role, was in early development at HBO and is working titled Snow, with involvement from George R. R. Martin. Also in June, Martin said there were still three other live-action series in development: 10,000 Ships (written by Amanda Segal), 9 Voyages aka Sea Snake (written by Bruno Heller), and the Dunk & Egg prequel series (written by Steven Conrad), tentatively titled either The Hedge Knight or Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
August 21, 2022: House of the Dragon Premieres
On August 21, 2022, "House of the Dragon", a prequel series based on parts of the novel "Fire & Blood", premiered on HBO, set about 200 years before the events of "Game of Thrones".
2022: Contribution to Elden Ring
In 2022, George R. R. Martin contributed to the video game 'Elden Ring', focusing on the worldbuilding aspects of the game.
2022: House of the Dragon Premieres and Elden Ring Release
In 2022, House of the Dragon, a prequel series to Game of Thrones, premiered, and George R. R. Martin contributed worldbuilding to the video game Elden Ring.
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