The Public Lending Right (PLR) is a right for authors and other rights holders to receive payments from a central fund for the public lending of their books by libraries in the UK. The 2019 to 2020 PLR scheme year applies to the lending of physical books and audiobooks and the remote lending of e-books and e-audiobooks from public libraries.

Each year the British Library Board (which is responsible for administering the scheme) makes a recommendation to the Secretary of State of the rate per loan to be paid from the PLR fund to registered authors, illustrators and other contributors. The rate per loan is calculated on the basis of the size of the fund available and an estimate by the British Library of the total number of loans of their registered works, obtained from a sample of public libraries in the UK.

The British Library Board has proposed a rate per loan of 9.55 pence for payments in the 2019 to 2020 scheme year. This is an increase of 0.52 pence, from 9.03 pence, and reflects the fact that the central fund is unchanged and a there is a reduction in the estimated number of loans of books registered for PLR.

This consultation invites views from authors and other interested parties on the proposed rate per loan for the 2019 to 2020 public lending right scheme year.

The consultation closes on 27 October 2020. To access the consultation, click here.