I'm not sure if anyone can answer this, unless you work for HBO or if the reasons were made public, and I'm just not aware of them.

Why exactly did HBO choose ASOIAF? I do know that Martin is one of the best, but how did the cable giant and the author find a marriage over other top contenders like Jordan, Erikson, Hobb, Le Guin, Williams, Donaldson, etc etc.

Josh