YouGov’s list of Famous Contemporary Fiction Writers has him at #36 overall with 48% name recognition, sorted by Fame. So it’s a coin flip if a random person knows who he is. King is an easy #1 with 96%, Rowling is #2 with 89% and R.R. Martin is #15 with 59% if we’re looking for fantasy writers. Stephanie Meyer of Twilight fame (which I’d call fantasy, YMMV) edges Gaiman out at #29 and 51% recognition.
Good thing I said “He is a massively huge figure in science fiction and fantasy.” and not “He is a massively huge figure to the random general public.”, then, isn’t it?
Here are some of his recent obscure adaptations:
And one upcoming one:
It sounds like it was an open secret about him in the convention circuit, much like Isaac Asimov’s skeevyness. (For some of you: Isaac Asimov was a man who wrote science fiction books.)
(And a bunch of science popularization essays that got collected into books.)
Mostly second hand. The best man at my wedding is a good friend of his. One of my oldest friends worked for him for a bit. Another one of my oldest friends has been TRYING to sleep with him unsuccessfully since she was - at best - a young adult (and she WAS hot - she’s now in her 50s and still pretty hot). I used to - through these friends - have an invitation to property he owned in Scotland. And I have never heard as much as a rumor that his sexual activity is inappropriate - other than he is heavily pursued by women, has no problem getting laid, and takes advantage of it, then never calls any of the women afterwards - but there is nothing inappropriate about a guy sleeping with women who are throwing themselves at him.
(On the other hand, don’t get me started on Steve Brust)
That is by author name. I wonder what it would be by their work.
E.G. Do people know “Good Omens” was written by him? I bet they don’t but they know the show.
ETA: I wonder how many sci-fi/fantasy authors most people on the street could name. Tolkien, Asimov maybe. Clarke? Wells? Martin? Verne?
I’m old school enough not to include YA writers. They’re separate. I know Gaiman wrote some major YA books, but he’s done major adult works as well.
I forgot about Martin, though. He would be on top.
I never heard anything bad about Terry Pratchett.
I feel like it’s quite securely a nerd show (and book), and nerds know who he is.
Well, it has gotten a third season scheduled which is not common these days for nerd shows.
I’d liken it to Blade Runner. Most people know the movie (even if they have not seen it). The nerds know it is based on a book by Philip K. Dick (and I bet it takes a nerd to even know that name).
Well, yeah. This all got started when people said “Who?” and other people were amazed that the first group didn’t know the name. Instead of shock, it could have just gone “Neil Gaiman…” “Who?” “Wrote American Gods, Coraline, Lucifer…” “Ah, okay”.
If he isn’t the most famous living fantasy writer in the world, he’s at least close to it. I’ve seen him several times at science fiction/fantasy cons. He signed some of my copies of his books.
You literally compared him to Stephen King and George Lucas, both of whom I am very familiar with.
Your comment above is goalpost-moving.
mmm
Enough that he was already being paid tens of thousands for public speaking back in 2011 when he was called a pencil-necked weasel for it.
You are welcome to feel that way, just as I am welcome to feel that people who feel the need to drop into a thread and say “never heard of them” are announcing the limits of their knowledge, not the limits of the person’s fame.
Fame is literally defined as being known by people
How many people? I get that is an annoying question but I think it is important.
But by which people? Is (choose your favorite sportsball competetor who makes 50 million a year) not famous if 500 million people in China have never heard of him? Or is he famous because 50 million people in the US have? Neil Gaiman is deeply famous among peope who are interested in sf/f. He is not famous among people who don’t read fiction or watch TV.
…actually I’m curious about this, if you don’t mind getting started.
So he’s niche famous unlike Stephen King or George Lucas who are broadly famous. He’s more famous than most people under YouGov’s polling umbrella (given that 50% of people had heard of him, weighted towards Millennials) but not widely famous in that he doesn’t need an explanation.