| 100% | HELLER | 6 | Best-selling author of "Good as Gold," 1979 |
| 53% | JAMESFFIXX | 10 | Best-selling author of 1978 |
| 52% | TUROW | 5 | Best-selling author of "Personal Injuries" |
| 52% | TUROW | 5 | Best-selling author of legal thrillers |
| 52% | CLANCY | 6 | Best-selling author of "Debt of Honor" |
| 52% | TOWNSEND | 8 | Best-selling author of "Up the Organization" |
| 50% | CARTLAND | 8 | Barbara __, best-selling author of love stories |
| 50% | CALEB | 5 | ___ Carr, best-selling author of historical thrillers |
| 49% | ANGIETHOMAS | 11 | Best-selling author of 2017's "The Hate U Give" |
| 49% | REBECCAYARROS | 13 | Best-selling author of the "Empyrean" "romantasy" series: 2 wds. |
| 49% | STEPHENKING | 11 | Best-selling author of 25-, 36-, and 44-Across: 2 wds. |
| 49% | BRESLIN | 7 | Best-selling author of "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" |
| 49% | CESAR | 5 | Best-selling author Millan, known as "The Dog Whisperer" |
| 49% | RUBIN | 5 | Kids author of best-selling The Ice Cream Machine |
| 48% | ALCOTT | 6 | Best-selling author who served as a nurse in the Civil War |
| 48% | JANETMOCK | 9 | Transgender rights activist and best-selling author of "Redefining Realness" |
| 48% | EVIE | 4 | ___ Woods, best-selling author of 2023's "The Lost Bookshop" |
| 48% | ERLE | 4 | First name of the best-selling American author of the 20th century (as of 1970) |
| 47% | PEALE | 5 | Norman Vincent ___, best-selling author of "The Power of Positive Thinking" |
| 47% | JKROWLING | 9 | Author of the best-selling book series in history |
| 47% | STOWE | 5 | Author of the 19th century's best-selling novel |
| 47% | DAHL | 4 | Author of the best-selling children's book "Matilda" |
| 47% | ANALOGY | 7 | Good as gold, e.g. |
| 47% | SIMILE | 6 | Good as gold, for example |
| 47% | ERRATA | 6 | Good as gold, and others? |
| 47% | SIMILE | 6 | Good as gold, e.g. |
| 47% | MARYBETHKEANE | 13 | Best-selling author of four novels, including 17-Across and 40-Across (3 wds.) |
| 46% | PETERROGET | 10 | Best-selling author who used an awful lot of commas |
| 46% | DANIELLE | 8 | __ Steel, best-selling fiction author of The Gift |
| 46% | ROTH | 4 | Veronica ___, author of the best-selling "Divergent" series |