Author well said to need no help (5)
I believe the answer is:
wells
'author' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for wells that I've seen before include "What a boring person might produce" , "Novelist and city" , "Sources of water" , "Somerset cathedral city" , "Springs" .)