Losing an award to J.K. Rowling for literature isn’t shocking. But what’s surprising is getting salty about that loss and writing an entire letter flexing about your superior fanbase. Well, that’s exactly what George R.R. Martin did in 2001 after Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire beat his A Storm of Swords for the Hugo Award.
Instead of gracefully accepting defeat, George R.R. Martin took to the internet with an over-the-top monologue about how his fans—sorry, his Bros—are cooler, wilder, and just better. According to him, J.K. Rowling surely had billions of fans and even the Hugo Award, but she could never have devoted readers like him. Well, after decades, Rowling still has her billions, and we’re still waiting for The Winds of Winter.
George R.R. Martin flexed his fanbase after losing to J.K. Rowling
Losing a literary award is never fun, but most authors either move on or pretend they didn’t care in the first place. But not George R.R. Martin. Because when the American writer lost the 2001 Hugo Award to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he didn’t just take the L—he wrote about it. A classic writer move.
Instead of accepting that maybe people really liked a boy wizard fighting a noseless villain, George R.R. Martin decided to remind the world that his fans were way cooler. In a letter from a web archive, Martin gushed about his readers, affectionately calling them “Bros” and stating how they weren’t just bookworms but legendary party animals.
Other writers have readers. I have the Bros. They started out by reading my fantasy novels. Then they started talking about them with each other on a succession of internet bulletin boards and chat rooms.
At the Philadelphia Worldcon in 2001 a few of them got together, and we had a dinner and a party. It was a pleasant little party, but nothing compared to the ones the Bros have thrown since… The Bros know how to party.
So now, according to George R.R. Martin, his fans didn’t just read about Westeros—they threw the wildest parties, hosted strip trivia, and probably drank more mead than a medieval knight. And that, in his eyes, made his fans superior to the Harry Potter fans who were probably too busy practicing spells.
Eat your heart out, Rowling. Maybe you have billions of dollars and my Hugo, but you don’t have readers like these.
But while flexing his fanbase and his party bros was fine, George R.R. Martin upped the ante by directly attacking J.K. Rowling through his rageful monologue. In what he considered a solid mic drop moment, Martin hoped for Rowling to “eat her heart out” because she can be a billionaire with the Hugo Award, but she can never have a party freak, cool fanbase like him.
George R.R. Martin’s bros now want him to complete his books
Fast forward to today, J.K. Rowling seems unfazed by George R.R. Martin’s open letter because she has been too busy selling millions of copies of Harry Potter and writing new books. Whereas, the Bros—those same fans Martin once flexed about—seem a little less interested in lamprey pies and a little more interested in The Winds of Winter.
While it may have been cool to be a part of George R.R. Martin’s fanbase, it turns out that it’s no longer fun when you’re stuck in an endless waiting game for the book that has been “coming soon” for over a decade. Meanwhile, Rowling—who allegedly didn’t have “readers like these”—finished Harry Potter, launched multiple spin-offs, and built an entire theme park.
Sure, she’s controversial now, but at least her fans got closure. George R.R. Martin’s readers, on the other hand, are seemingly going through all five stages of grief at once. So, yes, back in 2001, Martin may have had the best parties, the most dedicated fans, and a legendary letter. But today? The bros are losing their minds over the decades-long tradition of begging him to finish the books.
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