'Winds of Winter' author George R.R. Martin ranked fourth most powerful writer in Hollywood

Even before the release of “Winds of Winter,” George R.R. Martin seems to be climbing the ranks as a writer. A new report puts the author at number four in the list of the top most sought-after “word nerds” in Hollywood.

The Hollywood Reporter as released a list of the top writers in Hollywood. On the top of the list is “Harry Potter” series author J.K. Rowling, who has also written the script of the upcoming movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Next on the list is Stephen King, who is Hollywood’s most adapted author.

James Patterson comes in third. The author reportedly earned $95 million (about AU $124 million) in 2015, and is said to be on the top of all other writers in terms of earnings, according to Forbes. His work has been adapted to “Zoo” TV series, and the movies “Along Came a Spider” and “Kiss the Girls.”

Fourth on the list is Martin, whose book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” has been adapted by HBO for the TV series “Game of Thrones.” The author is involved on the show as a consultant, and has written some of the scripts for a few episodes. However, recently Martin has dropped all other projects to focus on completing his next book “Winds of Winter.”

Commenting on his rank, Martin said in a blog post that he remembered being number seven a few years ago. The author pointed out that he seems to be “getting more powerful by the day.” “Soon I will rule the world,” he joked. He described his current mood in the post as “bouncy.”

While his fans eagerly wait for any update about the release of “Winds of Winter,” Martin has not made any announcements about when he expects to finish the book. The author is notorious for being a slow writer, and now there are growing concerns that the “Game of Thrones” TV series, which has already overtaken the source material, will spoil the ending of the books.