What was J.K. Rowling’s first novel published under her own initials?

J.K. Rowling’s first novel published under her own initials was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Bloomsbury issued the book in 1997 under the byline J.K. Rowling. The publisher requested initials rather than her full first name because of concerns that some boys might avoid a book written by a woman. Rowling selected “K” from Kathleen, her paternal grandmother’s name.

The title differs in the United States, where Scholastic published Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Both titles refer to the same first novel, not two separate books.

Rowling later published fiction under other names and formats. The Casual Vacancy appeared under her usual initials in 2012, while the Cormoran Strike novels used Robert Galbraith. These later works do not change which title introduced her public author identity to the world.