As already mentioned, I have mixed feelings about this. In a way, the "featured author" system looks like the real world, where . as a junior you need support from senior people if you want a fast track to success. If you go through this and build your reputation, then eventually you no longer need mentoring.
The advantage of a blockchain-based system with respect to deals in the real world is TRANSPARENCY. ..deals are visible to anybody, and the community can express opinions, etc.
Real-world stuff plus transparency looks good to me, overall. Just imagine for one second that politicians had to write all their formerly secret deals on a blockchain. ..we would live in a much better world, probably :)