Is there some law that requires magazines to publish lists of Very Important People in September? Shortly after filing the authors on Esquire‘s list of this century’s greatest influencers, one couldn’t help but notice Vanity Fair‘s latest “New Establishment” checklist, which actually has significant overlap with its Esquire counterpart.
But not, as it turns out, in the world of literature, unless you count Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert‘s status as bestselling authors. Likewise, you could say that Arianna Huffington and Frank Rich have published books, and they’re part of the New Establishment, but it’s not quite the same thing as having Dave Eggers on the Esquire list, or even Samantha Power. Seriously, Vanity Fair couldn’t find a single author with the cultural clout to outrank Matt Drudge and Jimmy Buffett? Heck, even if the ability to create a cottage industry around oneself were the only benchmark, James Patterson could’ve made the cut, or J.K. Rowling—remember, she’s now powerful enough to keep other people’s books from being published!
Publishing and bookselling are different matters: Esquire honorees Rupert Murdoch, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, and Oprah Winfrey all make the VF grade.