George R.R. Martin has been distracted with possible new HBO shows. What does that mean for ‘The Winds of Winter’?

There is good news and bad news for fans of George R.R. Martin and “Game of Thrones.”

The good news is that more “Game of Thrones”-world stories may be coming to HBO. The bad news is that the sixth book in the “Song of Ice and Fire” series, “The Winds of Winter,” is having to share its author’s attention with the television projects.

In a Sunday evening blog post, Martin confirmed that he’s working with several writers who are penning pilot scripts for shows set in the “secondary universe” of “Game of Thrones.”

“None of these new shows will be ‘spinning off’ from ‘GOT’ in the traditional sense,” Martin wrote. “We are not talking ‘Joey’ or ‘AfterMASH’ or even ‘Frasier’ or ‘Lou Grant,’ where characters from one show continue on to another. ... Every one of the concepts under discussion is a prequel, rather than a sequel. Some may not even be set on Westeros.”

Earlier this month, HBO confirmed that four possible successor shows, as Martin prefers to call them, are in development at the network.

On his blog, Martin teased the possibility of a fifth show set in the “Game of Thrones” universe. “We had four scripts in development when I arrived in L.A. last week, but by the time I left, we had five,” he wrote. “We have added a fifth writer to the original four. No, I will not reveal the name here. HBO announced the names of the first four, and will no doubt announce the fifth as well, once his deal has closed.”

Martin declined to say what the possible new shows will be about, but confirmed that they won’t be based on his “Dunk & Egg” book series or on the “Robert’s Rebellion” storyline in the “Song of Ice and Fire” books.

The author cautioned his fans that it’s unlikely all five pilot scripts would become television shows.

“Decades of experience in television and film have taught me that nothing is ever really certain. ... But I do think it’s very unlikely that we’ll be getting four (or five) series. At least not immediately,” he wrote. “What we do have here is an order for four — now five — pilot scripts. How many pilots will be filmed, and how many series might come out of that, remains to be seen.”

Martin reassured his often impatient fans that “The Winds of Winter” is still in the works, using a large font to make his point.

“And yes, before someone asks, I AM STILL WORKING ON ‘WINDS OF WINTER’ and will continue working on it until it’s done,” he wrote. “ I will confess, I do wish I could clone myself, or find a way to squeeze more hours into the day, or a way to go without sleep. But this is what it is, so I keep on juggling.”

Martin didn’t give an estimate of a release date for “The Winds of Winter,” which is likely to frustrate “Song of Ice and Fire” readers, like the Guardian writer who responded to Martin’s post by writing, “Let’s just say it: George RR Martin needs to get on with ‘The Winds of Winter.’” The most recent book in the series, “A Dance With Dragons,” was published in 2011.

Impatient fans can at least count the days until the seventh and penultimate season of “Game of Thrones.” The show will return to HBO on July 16.