I was communicating with a book editor, who took pains in an email to tell me, on the one hand shes interested in my book, but on the other, how team-oriented her companys culture is, and how they eschew stars, of any kind.

Am I too much of a star for her?

Well, scratch her off the list!

Shes right; I am a star.

Period.

And if you expend an ounce of energy to disprove this, I win. Why? Because youre thinking about me. Its a form of publicity, and no publicity is bad.

If you believe I am a star, and act accordingly, we both win. Well set our aspirations above the ordinary, and well do better than the mere mortals who accept the get-by, instead of seeking the breakthrough.

But if shes saying that shell only allow her literary partners to shine so much, then shes simply crazy, and has no business being in business.

Boston traded mighty Babe Ruth to the Yankees because they didnt know how to handle stars, and what was the result? The Curse of The Bambino, an 80+ year absence from the World Series, just to prove that one guy wasnt such hot stuff.

A zillion Yankee fans will retort, Oh, yes he was!

I regale you with these details because if you think enough of yourself, your abilities, your writings to put them into play, in the marketplace of ideas, then bully for you.

Youre bold enough to make a place for yourself in the pantheon of the greats.

But if you let the shoe tell the foot how big it should grow, youre just hobbling yourself.

Never, ever let that happen!