The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word GRAVES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
G
R
A
V
E
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Author" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case author = graves.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 GRAVES mean?
GRAVES noun- An excavation in the earth as a place of burial
- Any place of interment; a tomb; a sepulcher.
- (by extension) Death, destruction.
- To dig.
- To carve or cut, as letters or figures, on some hard substance; to engrave.
- To carve out or give shape to, by cutting with a chisel; to sculpture.
- To impress deeply (on the mind); to fix indelibly.
- To entomb; to bury.
- To write or delineate on hard substances, by means of incised lines; to practice engraving.
- A written accent used in French, Italian, and other languages. è is an e with a grave accent (`).
- A count, prefect, or person holding office.
- To clean, as a vessel's bottom, of barnacles, grass, etc., and pay it over with pitch — so called because graves or greaves was formerly used for this purpose.