What was the first novel J.K. Rowling published under her own name after Harry Potter?

The Casual Vacancy was the first novel J.K. Rowling published under her own name after Harry Potter. It was released in 2012 as an adult novel.

The book marked a deliberate change of audience and subject. Instead of a young wizarding protagonist, it examines tensions in the fictional town of Pagford after parish councillor Barry Fairbrother dies. The plot focuses on local politics and difficult social issues.

The Cuckoo’s Calling appeared next in Rowling’s adult-fiction career, but it was initially credited to Robert Galbraith, her crime-fiction pen name. That makes it incorrect for this question even though Rowling wrote it and it followed The Casual Vacancy chronologically.

The Ickabog was published much later, in 2020, and is a children’s fantasy novel. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a stage play credited as a story by Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany rather than a conventional Rowling novel. These distinctions explain why The Casual Vacancy is the precise answer.