The sixth book of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series has been eagerly anticipated by the series's fans since the fifth installment, "A Dance with Dragons," was released in 2011. While previous statements from the author and the publishers hinted at a 2016 or 2017 release for the book, there has been no official word about the release date for "The Winds of Winter," but a report suggests that the novel could be available by early 2016.

According to The Independent, Polish website Piesn Lodu I Ognia reports that Michal Jakuszewski has been tapped by the Zysk publishing house to translate "The Winds of Winter." The publishing house reportedly asked Jakuszewski to "save his time by the end of the year" to translate the book.

"Although the translator seemed to be a bit skeptical about this news, it is undoubtedly a glimmer of hope for many of us," said the website.

The Independent speculates that the novel could possibly be done by now if it will be sent to international translators before the year ends. After translation, publishing and a launch campaign is expected to take place, which will reportedly make the book available by the early part of 2016, just in time before the sixth season of "Game of Thrones" premieres on HBO,

A fan took to Martin's Livejournal blog in hopes of getting a response from the author about the latest rumor, and the fan wrote, "There's some 'info' going around regarding a Polish translator being asked to reserve some time at the end of the year for ['The Winds of Winter']. Any comments on this?"

Martin did not respond to the fan's question, but the author did give an answer when asked whether the sixth book will be released on hardcover and paperback at the same time.

"Hardcover only, at least in the U.S. Standard procedure," Martin wrote.