Stop Throwing Good Money After Bad: The Sunk Cost Fallacy in Book Marketing

Last year I spoke with an author who had been paying a PR firm $3,500 a month for nearly a year. She hadn’t landed a single interview, review, or meaningful piece of exposure. When I asked why she kept going, her answer was the same one I hear from too many nonfiction authors:

“Because I’ve already spent so much.”

That’s the sunk cost fallacy at work. And if you don’t recognize it in your own marketing, it will quietly drain your budget, stall your book’s momentum, and crush your confidence.

What the Sunk Cost Fallacy Really Is

The sunk cost fallacy is simple. It’s the urge to keep investing time, money, or energy in something because of what you’ve already invested, even if it’s not working.

Logic says: cut your losses. Emotion says: don’t waste what you’ve already spent.

Authors fall for it every day. You already ordered 1,000 copies of your book, so you feel you need to “make them move” with yet another lackluster signing event. You already paid for that slick new website, so you feel stuck with a marketing strategy that centers on blog posts no one reads. You already invested thousands in ads, so you keep feeding the machine hoping this month will finally deliver results.

Spoiler: it usually doesn’t.

Why Authors Get Stuck Here

Nonfiction books aren’t widgets. They’re personal. Your book carries your story, your expertise, your reputation. That makes the money you spend on marketing feel like more than a business decision. It feels like a bet on yourself.

Walking away feels like failure. It feels like giving up on your book. But here’s the truth: clinging to a bad decision is what actually kills momentum.

The psychology behind it is sneaky.

• Pride tells you to keep going so you don’t look foolish.
• Fear tells you stopping means the dream is dead.
• Ego tells you that you can make it work if you just try harder.

That’s why authors pour thousands into PR retainers, ads, courses, or gimmicks long after it’s obvious they’re not delivering.

The Real Cost of Bad Investments

Every dollar tied up in a failed tactic is a dollar not fueling something that could work.

The author locked into a publicist contract? That’s money she could have used to pitch targeted podcasts where her readers actually hang out. The author running ads with no ROI? That’s budget that could have gone into hosting a workshop where attendees walk away with her book in hand.

The real loss isn’t what you already spent. The real loss is the opportunity cost of not reallocating those resources into something smarter.

A Tale of Two Authors

Let me give you two contrasting stories.

Author A poured nearly $20,000 into a national media campaign. The firm promised big morning show interviews. After six months, she had two blog mentions and an empty bank account. But she renewed the contract anyway, convinced that she was “too far in to quit.” By the end of the year, she’d doubled her losses and had almost nothing to show for it.

Author B tried the same route. After three months, she looked at the numbers and admitted it wasn’t working. She cut her contract, painful as it was, and redirected that money into speaking opportunities where event organizers bought books in bulk. By the end of the year, she had recouped her initial spend and established a steady stream of book-related revenue.

Both authors faced sunk costs. One clung. One cut. Only one came out stronger.

How to Spot the Trap in Your Own Marketing

So how do you know if you’re caught in the sunk cost fallacy? Ask yourself:

• If I wasn’t already invested in this, would I choose it again today?
• Am I continuing only because of what I’ve already spent?
• Does this strategy have clear, measurable results — or am I clinging to hope?

If your answers make you squirm, it’s a sign you’re trapped.

The Sunk Cost Audit

Here’s a quick exercise I give my clients. Take 10 minutes and run this audit:

1. List your current marketing activities. Ads, PR, social media, events, whatever you’re doing.
2. Write down what each costs. Money, time, and energy all count.
3. List what you’re getting back. Leads, sales, visibility, speaking invites. Be specific.
4. Circle the winners. Which activities deliver real results?
5. Cross out the losers. Which activities only keep going because you already started?

Now comes the hard part: stop the losers. Cut the cord. Reallocate those resources into proven, repeatable strategies.

Smarter Plays for Nonfiction Authors

If you’re ready to shift, here’s where to put your attention:

• Speaking engagements. They sell books in bulk and position you as an authority.
• Strategic partnerships. Organizations, associations, or companies that can buy your book by the box.
• Podcast guesting. Get in front of niche audiences who are hungry for your expertise.
• Workshops and trainings. Deliver value and include your book as part of the package.

These aren’t glamorous. They don’t come with the allure of national media or viral ads. But they work. And they keep working long after the sunk costs are buried.

The Bottom Line

The sunk cost fallacy whispers: keep going, don’t waste what you’ve spent. But the longer you keep sinking, the more you guarantee waste.

The smart move is to cut your losses fast. Invest where your book has leverage. Walk away from tactics that don’t serve you.

Because your book doesn’t deserve stubborn hope. It deserves smart, strategic action.