The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word AUTHORIAL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
U
T
H
O
R
I
A
L
More clues leading to the result AUTHORIAL
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "as a novelist/as a novelist" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case as a novelist/as a novelist = authorial.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does AUTHORIAL mean?
AUTHORIAL adjective- Of, coming from, or typical of an author (especially of books).