Does author pedigree confer series instant popularity, if Im understanding the wiki entry correctly the writer of Medaka Box was a pretty well regarded writer of many works catering to both otaku and nontraditional fans of the medium. Verily, Stealth Symphony may truly be the clear success story. Im cheering it on.
There are cases in which pedigree confers popularity, the most obvious and recent example being Yusei Matsui with Assassination Classroom following Majin Tantei Nogami Neuro. But there are still other cases (I can't say if it's more or less) in which authors with previously highly successful serials return with a less successful serial. Here's a quick list of a few authors I've found and their series in order published, with the bold series being their most successful:
- Ryu Fujisaki (Psycho +,
Hoshin Engi, Sakuratetsu Taiwahen, Waqwaq)
- Mizuki Kawashita (Lilim Kiss,
Ichigo 100%, Hatsukoi Limited, Anedoki)
- Yoshiyuki Nishi (
Muhyo & Roji, Bokke-san, Hachi)
- Nobuhiro Watsuki (
Rurouni Kenshin, Gun Blaze West, Buso Renkin)
Overall, if history's shown us, author pedigree doesn't mean too much when it comes to how successful subsequent series will become. Though it's still fun to observe how authors evolve, for better or worse.
I think the recent case scenario of Yusei Matsui may have led some of us to believe that authors can never get worse over time, when, really, they can still lose their adaptability with the audience and editors.