Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
author (v.)
Some Standard users strongly dislike author as a transitive verb (He authored ten books), but it has a long if somewhat mixed history. At present it is seriously threatened with the status of cliché. Perhaps for now you would be wise to reserve it (in the combined form with co-) for occasions when you wish to describe collaborative authorship, as in coauthored by A. and B. To author, as a synonym for to write, serves little purpose other than to distinguish between writing for a living and simply writing letters or producing penmanship.
