UPDATED: J.K. Rowling Announces New Children’s Story, “The Ickabog”
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has announced a new children’s story on Twitter today, May 26. After first clarifying that the story is not related to the Wizarding World franchise, Rowling announced that the title of the story – to be published as a book in November 2020, following a gradual release on her website – is The Ickabog.
Over 10 years ago, I wrote a stand-alone fairy tale called
The Ickabog. You can read more about how, why and
when The Ickabog was written at https://t.co/MgH9NZnSAS2/13
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
The standalone fairy tale was written over ten years ago. According to Rowling’s website and subsequent tweets, The Ickabog has remained in her attic until now.
The idea for The Ickabog came to me while I was still writing Harry Potter. I wrote most of a first draft in fits and starts between Potter books, intending to publish it after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
However, after the last Potter book I wanted to take a break from publishing, which ended up lasting five years. In that time I wrote The Casual Vacancy and Robert Galbraith wrote The Cuckoo’s Calling. After some dithering (and also after my long-suffering agent had trademarked The Ickabog – sorry, Neil) I decided I wanted to step away from children’s books for a while. At that point, the first draft of The Ickabog went up into the attic, where it’s remained for nearly a decade. Over time I came to think of it as a story that belonged to my two younger children, because I’d read it to them in the evenings when they were little, which has always been a happy family memory.
Rowling tweeted that she decided to release the story for free online so that children can read it or have it read to them amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Anyway, over the last few weeks I’ve done a bit of rewriting
and I’ve decided to publish the Ickabog for free online,
so children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times, can read it or have it read to them.7/13
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
In the announcement on her website, Rowling states that the story is “suitable for 7-9[-]year[-]olds to read to themselves.”
Rowling “[will] be posting a chapter (or two, or three) every weekday between 26th May and 10th July on The Ickabog website.” Translations are forthcoming.
Additionally, Rowling has announced an illustration competition for children, tied to the formal publication of The Ickabog. It will be published in English in November of this year.
Having decided to publish, I thought how wonderful it would be if children in lockdown, or otherwise needing distraction during the strange and difficult time we’re passing through, illustrated the story for me. There will be suggestions about the illustrations we might need for each chapter on The Ickabog website, but nobody should feel constrained by these ideas. I want to see imaginations run wild! Creativity, inventiveness and effort are the most important things: we aren’t necessarily looking for the most technical skill!
In November 2020, The Ickabog will be published in English in print, eBook [sic] and audiobook formats, shortly followed by other languages. The best drawings in each territory will be included in the finished books. As publishers in each territory will need to decide which pictures work best for their own editions, I won’t be personally judging the entries. However, if parents and guardians post their children’s drawing on Twitter using the hashtag #TheIckabog, I’ll be able to share and comment! To find out more about the Illustration Competition, go to The Ickabog website when it launches.
Finally, Rowling has pledged that the royalties she receives from The Ickabog will go toward groups affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I’m pledging all author royalties from The Ickabog, when published, to help groups who’ve been particularly impacted by the pandemic. Further details will be available later in the year.
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UPDATE (9:30 a.m. ET):
Rowling has replied to a fan on Twitter to say that The Ickabog is the same story that she had mentioned in a previous interview.
Aw, you remembered… for those who don't know, I said in one interview that I wrote an unpublished book all over a dress for a fancy dress party. (I went as a lost manuscript.) The book was The Ickabog. https://t.co/kn8ID1Pbfr
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
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UPDATE (10:00 a.m. ET):
The first two chapters of The Ickabog have been released on the story’s website, as announced in a press release from Rowling’s publicists.
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UPDATE (1:00 p.m. ET):
More details have been released about the illustration competition. Rowling will provide inspiration for the drawings when chapters are posted, and children ages 7 to 12 are invited to participate.
Calling all budding artists aged 7-12! You're invited to illustrate the story of The Ickabog and enter the competition for the chance to have your artwork featured in the printed version of the book.
Find out more about the competition and full rules ➡️ https://t.co/cDyrxr4Cb4 pic.twitter.com/ACbDtDJLHp
— Scholastic (@Scholastic) May 26, 2020
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