Neil Gaiman is known as one of the greatest living authors. In ’98, when he pitched his publisher the idea for American Gods, it was approved from a short description. Were American Gods the first book of an unknown writer, guaranteeing its publication would have taken more than a letter with an idea. Even 25 years ago, Gaiman was branded as a world-class author. If he wasn’t broadly a household name yet, he was well known among those who mattered to a publisher—people who would buy his books. A talentless hack who is also famous has a better chance of getting published and selling a hundred thousand copies than an unknown author as talented as Gaiman. Fame drives sales like a business superpower that can compensate for a lack of talent and vision. This is true in nearly every industry, not just publishing. Consumers seem hungry for someone to step out in a black turtleneck, one arm extended, to hand out the next generation of phones. Fame works like a snowball rolling downhill, facilitating more fame. Profiles of the crazy ones who changed the world are jumped at by readers and writers alike. The world isn’t filled with Steve Jobs’, in part because Steve Jobs wasn’t the god-like man we know. The picture painted by a marketing team, media, and eager consumers isn’t real. Jobs was just a man, not the technical thinker he’s often portrayed as. Like all larger-than-life figures, Jobs is a tapestry. Threads of reality, woven with…Stop Letting Fame Trump Talent In Publishing And Entrepreneurship