I worked on my book for over ten years from conception to publishing. It was a labour of love that will never "pay" for itself no matter how many sell. I spent time working on it as a hobby. I lived in fear that as it approached completion someone else would publish a book on the same topic - and a better one at that.
So I have sympathy for authors whose
work is "overtaken" or faces a competitor right out of the gate or soon after publishing. Totally natural instinct to want to get it finished and published, even if to outside observers it doesn't end up adding much. (And of course we don't know if that is the case here.)
SC