Or an asshole, you can choose. Thomas Pynchon chooses not to be famous. He is also pretty well-liked in New York publishing. There is NO LAW which says you must seek publicity. You can sell your books, make money and live your life.
Media celebrity is a role one chooses to live.
As cynical as I am somtimes, I disagree. But Egger's overt arrogance loses its charm after a dose or two. A man who has made millions selling his family tragedy for laughs, has no desire to court the people who actually made him rich. Not in Dave Eggers world. Kurt Andersen, who dropped him on a panel which covered marketing, was treated to 45 minutes of barely civil conversation , a courtesy which Eggers is usually unable to extend to others, he basically insulted the room.