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People might have more free time, and similar distractions than 50 years ago - but take into account that there's so many books now. All those titles written and released long ago still compete with today's novels.
I haven't read a book written after 1960 for 2 years now. I like to read classics of book genres, books which made the genres what they are today. Mystery classics, science-fiction classics, lovecraftian horror classics, first vampire stories, original pulp fiction. Maybe new novels can compete with them in a bookstore, when they're lying on the bestsellers table, and classics are nowhere to be seen - but not on the Internet. If I do my research, why should I choose a new name over Zelazny, Heinlein, Christie, Conan-Doyle, Jordan, if I haven't read them all yet?
I think this factor should be taken into account.
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