best approach when it comes to query by custom field

I built a field group to manage books in a catalogue where there are multiple authors for a single book (on frontend will not be shown the authors surnames but only the text 'Ouvrage collectif')
The problem comes when I try to retreive all the authors in alphabetical order (eventually is there a picture too, but the question is secondary!).
The query to clonable fields gives me a blank space...
I tried to set a * in array or a blank space or all the capital letters from A to Z.
My deal is to retreive all the author's surname then match them with names and with uploaded picture file.
The same code - using a single text input - for books with only one author - works fine:

Here the code used for field group and query

$prefix = 'edgr_';

    $meta_boxes[] = [
        'title'    => esc_html__( 'Inserimento Autori vari', 'online-generator' ),
        'id'         => 'bookauthors',
        'post_types' => ['livre'],
        'context'  => 'after_title',
        'autosave' => true,
        'fields'   => [
            [
                'type'  => 'text',
                'name'  => esc_html__( 'Cognome', 'online-generator' ),
                'id'    => $prefix . 'cloned_surname',
                'desc'  => esc_html__( 'inserire cognome', 'online-generator' ),
                'clone' => true,
            ],
            [
                'type'  => 'text',
                'name'  => esc_html__( 'Nome', 'online-generator' ),
                'id'    => $prefix . 'cloned_name',
                'desc'  => esc_html__( 'inserire nome', 'online-generator' ),
                'clone' => true,
            ],
            [
                'type'  => 'image',
                'name'  => esc_html__( 'Image', 'online-generator' ),
                'id'    => $prefix . 'cloned_author_img',
                'clone' => true,
            ],
        ],
    ];

-----

 $new_args = array(
     'post_type' => 'livre',
     'meta_query' => array(
      array(
      'key' => 'edgr_cloned_surname',
      'value'   =>  serialize( array( ????? ) ),
      'compare' => 'LIKE',
     )
     ),
     'posts_per_page' => '-1',
     'order' => 'ASC',
     'orderby' => array(
     'edgr_cloned_surname' => 'ASC',
     )
     );
    ?>
<?php $new_query = new WP_Query( $new_args ); ?>
<?php if ($new_query->have_posts()) : while ($new_query->have_posts()) : $new_query->the_post(); ?> 
    <div class="card">   
   <?php
    $author_c_surname = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'edgr_cloned_name', true);
    $author_c_name = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'edgr_cloned_surname', true);
    ?>
    <?php echo '<h5 class="book-author"><a href="' .$link. '">'.$author_c_name.'&nbsp;'.  $author_c_surname.'</a></h5>'; ?>
    </div>
     <?php 
	 endwhile; 
	 endif;