When libraries buy a copy of a book in hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook, that contributes to total sales and therefore towards an author's advance or royalties.
When readers borrow a book, ebook or audiobook from a library, that is a matter for the Public Lending Right which compensates authors for such borrowing. This year writers got 13.6 pence for each time one of their titles was borrowed, up to a maximum PLR payment of £6,600. I got considerably less than £6,600!
Libraries pay for their books like anyone else. In many countries in the world – including here in the UK – there's also an additional system (ours is PLR, the Public Lending Right) that pays authors a (very!) small amount each time a book is loaned. The amount is a fraction of what we get as a royalty from purchases, but if your book is borrowed thousands of times it can still be a nice bit of cash every year.
Thank you! The realities for authors - grim or glad - are rarely spelled out so clearly.
Far too much of publishing is opaque!
This was a fascinating peek behind the curtain! How, if at all, do library loans factor into sales/royalities?
When libraries buy a copy of a book in hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook, that contributes to total sales and therefore towards an author's advance or royalties.
When readers borrow a book, ebook or audiobook from a library, that is a matter for the Public Lending Right which compensates authors for such borrowing. This year writers got 13.6 pence for each time one of their titles was borrowed, up to a maximum PLR payment of £6,600. I got considerably less than £6,600!
Thank you David! So what you're saying is I should go and just keep borrowing Aldo books on repeat? ;-)
Libraries pay for their books like anyone else. In many countries in the world – including here in the UK – there's also an additional system (ours is PLR, the Public Lending Right) that pays authors a (very!) small amount each time a book is loaned. The amount is a fraction of what we get as a royalty from purchases, but if your book is borrowed thousands of times it can still be a nice bit of cash every year.
What Antony said! And considering a full-price paperback sale is maybe worth 50p in royalties, the 13.6p from a library borrowing isn't bad...
Was it really that much last year? It's gone up quite a bit since I first registered for PLR, then! 😅
Thank you Anthony! This is very informative.