It may lack wizards and witches, but JK Rowling and her publisher are hoping her first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy, will have the magic touch.

The book's title has been announced by Little, Brown & Co along with a brief plot synopsis and publication date.

Author JK Rowling's new book is aimed at a grown-up audience. Credit:Reuters

The publisher said the "blackly comic" tale of rivalry and duplicity in a small English town would be available worldwide on September 27.

The book will be Rowling's first post-Potter effort. Her seven-volume saga about the adventures of a boy wizard became one of the most successful fictional series in history and led to a series of extremely popular films.