The author has already read the story to her children and they loved it (the very reason why she decided to published it). She believed the story will be better in a serial format.
The story is now available online for free: http://www.theickabog.com/read-the-story . For the next 7 weeks, each weekday, a new installment will available for the masses to read. J.K. Rowling also invite children to illustrate the story in order to keep them occupied during this pandemic.
"I want to see imaginations run wild," she wrote. "Creativity, inventiveness and effort are the most important things: we aren't necessarily looking for the most technical skill."
The Ickabog will be published in print, ebook, and audio book in the month of November. Various publishers would have already chosen the best illustrations from the lot. The royalties made in sales will go to help groups that have been impacted by COVID-19.
Source: CNN.com