Not sure if it will help, but here is how a few of us start campaigns now.
You, the GM, come up with your basic setup. World/setting, overall arching plot you have in your mind, etc and you give the players just enough info in order to come up with character ideas based on that information. You then work with each to fine tune that a little more with you, the GM, keeping in mind you can do things with the PC's story that the PC might not even know about. Sometimes the difficult part here is getting each player to have a reason for actually teaming up and starting the 'adventures'. Sometimes players will blend their backstories with each other a bit. I personally tell players to look through all the talents/flaws they might want then I give them an approved list of those with my own costs assigned to them.
My last plot hook was essentially that they all are dissatisfied with a related issue (that is at the core of the overall campaign) and all have, at least some, skill or contacts in various forms of subterfuge/benevolent criminal activities and that most of them can hold their own in at least light melee fights and each received a summons for a mysterious meeting in a tavern in the kingdoms capital.
They players were instructed that only one PC could be a Pure/Hybrid Caster and that any Semi's would need to use their magic as carefully as possible (throwing a fall-ball in a city square would cause utter chaos and panic and probably put you on a lot of powerful peoples lists). My fantasy setting is setup so that magic is thought to be rare, but is actually quite common. A large percentage of the population (about 20%) are able to perform very simple spells (think very simple lists that would be akin to 'cantrips' in D&D - spells that you help do what would be considered normal things, but extremely well). These are 'Arcane' in nature, but are so low powered they are not dangerous. A small number of these people realize they are actually somehow using magic and might actually develop it into a Open, maybe Closed, list or two that are closely related (this is more dangerous and can result in Arcane spell failures since they are essentially teaching themselves Arcane, i.e. normally dangerous, magic). The reason they teach themselves is primarily due to a certain religious group that would try to apprehend or kill them for effectively what would be considered witchcraft. This basically contributes to the fear of magic as once in a while someone trying to teach themselves Arcane Open or Closed lists screws up big time and you have a small crater where their house was (or something similarly spectacular). Society in general fears magic to varying degrees, but aren't so bloodthirsty about it. Of those 'casters' about 1% have the power of a Semi and find a way to be taught magic (which narrows their focus into a realm for their own and others safety) and about 1% of the Semi's have the power of a Pure. About 1% of the Pure's might actually be an Arcane user. So, point is... it starts you in a low magic somewhat medieval, but fantasy, setting that will eventually become more epic as the campaign progresses.
So, I ended up with a Fighter, Rogue, Warrior Monk, Ranger, Paladin, and an Air Mage. The Ranger and Paladin's magic are not seen for what they are (magic). Rangers are simply looked at as 'the mysterious stranger' types and Paladins are seen as divine (which is considered different than what is considered magic). The Air Mage is (as you can imagine) a way to subtlety use full on magic without being obvious about it (and is damn useful on sailed ships - both on water and in the air - I have very rudimentary, and as a result dangerous, zeppelins).
