Spoil maiden seen in publication (6)
I believe the answer is:
pamper
'spoil' is the definition.
(I know that spoil can be written as pamper)
'maiden seen in publication' is the wordplay.
'maiden' becomes 'm' (cricket abbreviation).
'seen in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'publication' becomes 'paper' (a paper is a type of publication).
'm' inserted within 'paper' is 'PAMPER'.
(Other definitions for pamper that I've seen before include "Overindulge (someone)" , "Spoil, cosset" , "Mollycoddle" , "Spoil, over-indulge" , "Treat indulgently" .)