It can be argued. You are, in a way, paying his salary.
If you were paying him in ongoing installments as part of a contract with a specified deadline, then yes. But you're not. You haven't paid him anything yet for all of the time he put into A Dance With Dragons, and you won't until you buy it. You paid him for the time he put into the other books. When you bought A Game of Thrones, you were paying him for that book only, and for the time it took him to write it. Not a penny of that was for anything else. He could stop writing the series tomorrow, put it down forever, and there would be no recourse. None. Because you haven't paid him anything for future books. The money you pay for his books is not an advance on the next book. It's for the book you're buying, period.
Being upset with him for taking awhile is a valid enough emotion, even if I personally disagree. Refusing to buy more of his books is an option you have. Does Martin have something of a moral obligation to finish his series? Sure. But a financial obligation? A legal obligation? No. A thousand times no. His life is his own. You don't own or possess any part of it, nor any part of his future time. Please stop pretending you do.
If you think that somehow you've already paid for his future services as a writer, then why do you have to pay again when you buy Dance With Dragons? Why didn't you have to pay for Game of Thrones before he started writing it?
Think of a serial story, the old kind that came out in newspapers. Let's say you buy the first three newspapers that have the first three parts. When you go to buy the fourth, the news stand is fresh out. Does anyone have any sort of obligation to provide you with that paper? No, you haven't paid for it yet.
From a different angle, say the author of the serial story stopped writing it, or the newspaper decides it wasn't popular enough and stops buying it from the author. Does anyone have an obligation to give you part four? No, you haven't paid for it yet. You bought the other three parts readily enough, even though you knew it wasn't finished yet, and that's the risk you took. You felt it was worth it because those first three parts were really good. You want to know what happens next, but this is how the story is released, and you haven't paid for the next part, so you don't get it.
Be as angry as you like at how long it's taken, but there's no binding obligation. And trying to enforce "reasonable" time limits on authors who are telling a story is one of the weirdest things I've heard in a long time. Maybe writing works like that for some people, but I don't know any of them. Even Brandon Sanderson writes because he loves it and wants to tell stories, not because of some obligation. He writes fast because that's how he writes. If he didn't write that way, then he wouldn't. End of story.
Ah, but why do writers get a special exemption? You're hired for a job and you're paid to do it. And nobody likes to have their employee take their sweet time about it."Boss, I know you wanted this report weeks ago, but really, I'm kind of burnt out. I will get it to you in my own sweet time." No, doesn't fly. Why should writers get special treatment? Seriously, isn't that their job? What are they doing for 8 hours a day for 5 years? These are writers. They write. They get paid. Time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings...wait, damn Linkin Park song! Time is a commodity, my friend. For the writer and for us.
It's the principle of the thing. It falls me that people will still buy his next book even though it's plainly obvious he wishes he never started the series. A man has to meet the expectations he created. It's good business.
"It's good business." Isn't that his concern, not yours? Can't you run your business any way you like?
Formerly Mat Bloody Cauthon on Wotmania, blessed be its name
George Martin IS my bitch
02/05/2011 09:43:07 PM
- 1737 Views
slavery FTW! also
02/05/2011 09:58:10 PM
- 1410 Views
Re: slavery FTW! also
02/05/2011 10:25:37 PM
- 1083 Views
Not really ...
02/05/2011 10:48:05 PM
- 1169 Views
Good arguments, dear sir
02/05/2011 11:17:58 PM
- 1151 Views
Poe's Law strikes again.
02/05/2011 10:45:45 PM
- 1005 Views
No, you're my fucking bitch, bitch!
02/05/2011 11:03:40 PM
- 1356 Views
Lol! If I was drinking milk it would have shot out my nose. Classic! *NM*
02/05/2011 11:06:44 PM
- 438 Views
Though not a fan of ASoIaF, I must agree with Nate et al: If you dislike his performance, fire him.
03/05/2011 06:20:20 PM
- 1076 Views
I don't think someone can be your bitch if you have no power or authority over them.
03/05/2011 10:36:10 PM
- 1059 Views
Psst Both Koontz and King have written series and it has taken them forever to finish them *NM*
05/05/2011 10:32:42 PM
- 513 Views