King — gripping name for an author (8)
I believe the answer is:
chandler
'for an author' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'king gripping name' is the wordplay.
'king' becomes 'CR' (short for Carolus Rex, King Charles in Latin).
'gripping' means one lot of letters goes inside another (inserted letters are gripped).
'name' becomes 'handle' (a handle is a name).
'cr' enclosing 'handle' is 'CHANDLER'.
(Other definitions for chandler that I've seen before include "Dealer, especially in ship's supplies" , "Dealer in specialized merchandise" , "Mystery writer" , "Raymond ..., British-American detective fiction writer" , "Dealer in provisions and supplies,for ships say" .)