UK gov to consult on PLR scheme

The UK government has launched a consultation into its Public Lending Right (PLR) scheme, which provides authors with up to £6,600 (A$12,570) from loans of their books from libraries in the UK, reports the Bookseller.

The Society of Authors (SoA) has welcomed the consultation, but called for the fund to be increased and for volunteer-run libraries to be included in the scheme.

The consultation, which runs until 6 August, includes a proposal to collect comprehensive loans data from all library authorities in the UK ‘to ensure authors benefit accordingly to get their fair share’, as well as simplifying the process for personal representatives of deceased authors to register posthumously eligible books.

SoA CEO Nicola Solomon said it welcomes ‘the administrative updates on the table’, calling PLR ‘an important source of earnings for authors, particularly those whose books are sold mainly to libraries and those whose books are no longer in print but are still being read’.

‘We urge the government to take this opportunity to ringfence and increase the already meagre PLR Fund,’ said Solomon. ‘Taking into account the UK population, our PLR funding is well below that of comparable EU countries … it compares poorly with the £14m (A$26.7m) paid out annually in Germany,’ adding that this represented £11.2m on a population-adjusted basis at current exchange rates.

Category: International news