This story seems fascinating - not hugely consequential on a grand scale, perhaps, but just a really weird and curious incident. Why would someone try so hard

This story seems fascinating - not hugely consequential on a grand scale, perhaps, but just a really weird and curious incident. Why would someone try so hard to obtain unpublished manuscripts and texts, with no intent to resell them on public/near-public markets? "What he's been stealing ... is basically a huge amount of information that any publisher anywhere would be able to use to their advantage" ...er, ok, I guess? What would a competing publisher do with the knowledge of upcoming work by a well-known author with (presumably) existing publishing deals? (other than, potentially, demonstrate to other people that they already know these things, and act like they know the future?)