Lol...does it really matter to you that you were a fan of Bakker before *insert stuff here* ? I mean, come on...don't sell out 

In the end, you cannot argue about taste. I'm also not so sure if Bakker or other authors that are not that successfull really say "you know what, i will not go for popular..." . It's just that the way he wrote his story he had to tell, is not popular (well at least not as popular as, say, Martin or Jordan)...unfortunately.
I often have the impression that guys like Bakker or Erikson are too complicated for most readers. They have a level of intricacy and are so multifacetted (for example, imo, you cannot read Bakker or Erikson on the train...you need some quiet and concentration to really get the story) that many readers shy away from putting in the effort. They want "popcorn", not a "seven-course-menu", so to speak. It only needs to entertain, not to make you work...to think hard. And that is why Harry Potter has millions of readers...and Bakker or Erikson have not. People are lazy.

Anyway...i got carried away a bit...i'm sorry 

SoIaF was extremely popular long before the TV Series. So that is not it.

I guess what Martin did well was a) the shock-value aka killing characters, even protagonists, offhandedly and b) characterization and dialogue.
I still think he is one of the best when it comes to gripping dialogue.
His setting and world is rather mediocre. Some nice twists on the normal cliché, but overall a very standard fantasy setting in the vein of european medieval fantasy.

But i agree that overall, the series is overrated. Not as much overrated as you put it, but still overrated. I am always baffled when i see the many comments in the line of "Martin spoiled me for any other fantasy work" or somthing similar. Come on guys, it is not that good.

For myself, Martin is securely in the top 10 of my favourite Fantasy series.
But he really lost some quality between books 1 - 3 and the last two books (Book 4 was a real disappointment).

That said, it still is fact that Martin outsells Bakker (or any other fantasy author i like better) by a very big margin. I'm sure he is one of the bestselling fantasy authors of all time. Tolkien still beats him (but remember that Tolkien has 4 to 5 decades on him) and i think the WoT is still on top of him as well...but that may change soon (at least for WoT).
That is by no means a measure for quality, i know. If it was, Harry Potter would be the best fantasy series ever 

I'm a long time fan of RSB (started to read TDTCB on the first day it was published  ) , I joined the three seas forum when it first opened but didn't post that actively.
Scott's work is one of my favourite fantasy works. His world is so vibrant and has amazing depth and his writing is superb. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the AE series.

Other works that i enjoy as much as PoN and AE are: Steven Erikson's Malazan work and Michelle West's Sun Sword series. Another excellent Author is Guy Gavriel Kay.

I signed up here because i wanted to be able to post if necessary Although i think i will be much more of a reader than a poster. Not that there is nothing to say about this series, au contraire, but my last reread was some time ago and i don't think i am fit enough to "spar" with you guys on an equal level 

Anyway...glad to be here and looking forward to many interessting threads.