Dilbert's Death & A Writer's Legacy

  

Scott Adams died from prostate cancer at the age of 68. For those who don’t know him, you may ask: Who was he? You may even note his age and feel he was not young but say he was too young to die. You still wonder why you should care, beyond general human empathy for the loss of a stranger.

For those who recognize the name as the artist who created Dilbert, once one of the most relevant and popular cartoon strips filling American newspapers in his day. It seems so long ago that his lively, award-winning, iconic work was water-cooler worthy.

His witty cartoon strip ran for over 30 years, being consumed by millions of people and often quoted when people would try to explain awkward or negative moments in the workplace. It rebelled against the office culture, mocking bosses, stinging Corporate America, and highlighting the marginalization of the workforce. Not bad for a former bank teller.

The nature of the office and work has dramatically changed since 2020 and the pandemic. Does anyone even go to the office, and when they do, are employees just zooming with colleagues while AI is doing their work?

Newspapers are a shell in size or significance, from what they were a few decades ago. Thousands of newspapers folded, others cut back printing schedules, shrank staff, or transitioned to digital only. We are a culture without headlines.

And the Dilbert comic strip was killed off a couple of years ago due, in part, for some controversial remarks made by Scott — and for becoming less relevant to a new generation of worker.

So, my question here is: Does anyone care he died when what he was known for and the environment for which he thrived in are both gone?

This is not an attack on him. His work was great— both witty and relevant. But the nature of one’s legacy, in any industry, seems shorter these days. It is like trying to compare statistics between a QB that played in the 1970s to today. The whole game, length of season, rules, strategies, schedule of opponents, and size and speed of players is so different now vs then that one cannot find a commonplace standard to compare. 

And so, with Dilbert, how do you compare a comic strip about the office in a newspaper from the 1990s to now when the landscape of society, newspapers, and the workplace are so different, and evolving into something else?

Plus, even though his comic strip was killed off just a couple of years ago, his high point of relevancy was 25-30 years ago. A chunk of his original readers may even be out of the workplace, even dead. One’s legacy may not extend much beyond their lifetime.

So, why am I waxing on about someone who at one point was very famous and a part if our culture’s fabric, and who now is a footnote to history? I see a parallel to the fame and fortune that writers seek. Could the notoriety that they desire be achieved, and if so, for how long will it last? Could what they have achieved become irrelevant upon their death?

If Scott Adams were still alive, he probably would have something to say about it. But I fear no one would listen.

 

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Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,400,000 page views. With 5,500+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum