On the status quo of books

A disturbing pattern in books now is that they are fleeting. Authors should write something that will live for centuries. Take Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Or any of the classics. 25, 50 years, even a century may have passed, they are still being published. Books now last a minimum of 1 year publishing contract. And their authors don't get enough royalties. Imagine how Charles Dickens got paid for the rest of his life, even until now that he's dead.