How would one become an author without becoming famous?

No matter what the quality of your book is, fame is dependent on who you go to for publishing. Is Stephanie Meyers famous? Yes. Are her books good? Depends on who you ask. But if she chose the wrong publisher, there wouldn't be two movies, would there?

Personally, I like the authors that have fantastic books, but stay generally unknown for a while rather than skyrocketing into popularity one day then plummeting the next.

Most writers that are published *aren't* famous. We just hear about the famous ones while there are thousands of unknown published authors that are taking up that extra space in bookstores and libraries. (I find the unknown books to be best :O)

Self-publishers, I believe, don't become famous for a long time, unless they work hard at it, and/or their book is something everybody would be interested in.

Fame is rare when it comes to being a writer, so you don't need to worry (unless your books become really popular with everyone).

You can always use a pseudonym and never go on interviews, book tours, etc., I guess.

Write bad books?

I suppose someone could make up a fake name as a disguise?