The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word NOVELISTS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
N
O
V
E
L
I
S
T
S
Buddy explains!

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 NOVELISTS mean?
NOVELISTS noun- An author of novels.
- An innovator; one who introduces something new; one who favours novelty.