Really, he'd write wonderful books, both fiction and non, if he could get over his own ego (both the need to take credit for everything and make it overly grandiose). I get the feeling these skills aren't held in high regard in the wizarding world, though. I get the feeling that if it isn't a form of magic, it isn't a skill worth bothering with, much less admiring, according to wizards.

That's a very good point. Poor Lockhart, driven to crime because of the lack of a wizarding publishing outlet which does not specialize in non-fiction?