| 100% | ANTHONYDOERR | 12 | "All the Light We Cannot See" Pulitzer winner who also wrote 17-Across, 36-Across, and 2021's "Cloud Cuckoo Land" (2 wds.) |
| 34% | DOERR | 5 | Anthony __, Pulitzer winner for "All the Light We Cannot See" |
| 34% | DOERR | 5 | Pulitzer-winning author of “All the Light We Cannot See” |
| 34% | JHUMPA | 6 | With 27-Across, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner who wrote 17-Across and 36-Across |
| 33% | DOERR | 5 | Pulitzer-winner Anthony, the author of “All the Light We Cannot See” |
| 33% | MICHELLEOBAMA | 13 | Former first lady who wrote the memoirs "Becoming" and "The Light We Carry" (2 wds.) |
| 33% | ETIENNE | 7 | All the Light We Cannot See uncle |
| 33% | LEIGHBARDUGO | 12 | American novelist who wrote 17-Across, 40-Across, and the "Shadow and Bone" trilogy (2 wds.) |
| 33% | DOERR | 5 | All the Light We Cannot See author Anthony |
| 32% | DOERR | 5 | Anthony, All The Light We Cannot See author |
| 32% | GILLIANFLYNN | 12 | Author who wrote the novels from which 17-Across and 29-/31-Across were adapted: 2 wds. |
| 31% | BRANDICHASTAIN | 14 | 1996 and 2004 US soccer Olympic gold medalist who wrote the memoir "It's Not About the Bra": 2 wds. |
| 31% | ARTHURASHE | 10 | Tennis champ who captained the US's Davis Cup team (1981-1985) and wrote "A Hard Road to Glory": 2 wds. |
| 31% | CORMACMCCARTHY | 14 | "The Road" Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who wrote 19-Across, 46-Across, and the 2022 novel "The Passenger" (2 wds.) |
| 31% | KARENBLIXEN | 11 | Danish author who wrote 17-Across and 30-Across under the pen name Isak Dinesen (2 wds.) |
| 31% | VIRGINIAWOOLF | 13 | "Mrs. Dalloway" author who also wrote children's stories, including "The Widow and the Parrot" (2 wds.) |
| 31% | RUDYARDKIPLING | 14 | English author who wrote the children's literature at 18- and 41-Across: 2 wds. |
| 31% | ANGIETHOMAS | 11 | Novelist who wrote the Y.A. bestsellers 17-Across and 29-Across (2 wds.) |
| 31% | RINGOSTARR | 10 | 19-Across drummer who also wrote and sang 31-Across: 2 wds. |
| 30% | NAOMIOSAKA | 10 | 2021 Best Female Athlete ESPY winner who wrote the kids' book "The Way Champs Play": 2 wds. |
| 30% | DAVIDBALDACCI | 13 | Lawyer who wrote the thrillers "The Whole Truth" and "Deliver Us From Evil": 2 wds. |
| 30% | SERENAWILLIAMS | 14 | 2003 and 2013 Best Female Athlete ESPY winner who wrote the kids' book "The Adventures of Qai Qai": 2 wds. |
| 30% | THOMASRHETT | 11 | Singer/songwriter who collaborated with 17-Across, 28-Across, Reba McEntire, and Keith Urban on the country hit "Be a Light" (2 wds.) |
| 30% | ORSONWELLES | 11 | Actor who directed 17-Across and played the title character: 2 wds. |
| 30% | LOUISEERDRICH | 13 | Native American novelist who wrote 15-Across, 29-Across, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Night Watchman" (2 wds.) |
| 30% | WAR | 3 | "All the Light We Cannot See" backdrop |
| 30% | ROBERTFROST | 11 | 17-Across and 26-Across writer who is the only person to win four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry (2 wds.) |
| 30% | DOERR | 5 | "All the Light We Cannot See" novelist Anthony |
| 30% | DOERR | 5 | “All the Light We Cannot See” author Anthony |
| 30% | SERENAWILLIAMS | 14 | 2000, 2008, and 2012 US tennis Olympic gold medalist who wrote the memoir "On the Line": 2 wds. |