Article cover image: REGISTER YOUR EBOOKS FOR PLR

REGISTER YOUR EBOOKS FOR PLR

Remote ebook and e-audio books may now be registered for PLR. Recent technical amendments to the UK Public Lending Right (PLR) Scheme have been approved and laid before Parliament with the result that from 1 July 2018 data for loans of remote ebooks and e-audio books from public libraries is being collected alongside book and audio book loans.

The first payments for these newly eligible loans will be made by the end of 2019.

Long fought for by PLR stakeholders including ALCS and the Society of Authors, the extension of PLR to include ebook and e-audio book loans of all kinds is an important step forward for all authors. As Tom Holland, Chair of the PLR Advisory Committee said of the changes: “It is excellent news that the Government is backing a PLR fit for the 21st century. This will be hugely to the benefit of authors, who are fully aware that printed books these days are not the only way of reaching their readers.” Improved library borrowing figures will be a further positive outcome of the change.

Eligibility for ebooks is the same as for print books in that an ISBN is required. E-audiobook eligibility and the rules of fixed shares in PLR between contributors mirrors those for audiobooks. Kindle and Amazon audible download editions are not eligible for PLR as they are published with ASINs rather than ISBNs.

For further details on ebook and e-audio book registration please visit the link on the PLR website.


Written by Julia Eccleshare, Head of PLR Policy and Engagement