James Patterson has been named as the most borrowed author from UK libraries, retaining a crown he has held since 2006/7. Patterson’s books were borrowed over 2 million times in 2016-17, making a total of 22 million loans over the past 11 years.

James Patterson commented: “I’m delighted to be the most borrowed author in UK libraries for the eleventh year running and it’s great to know my stories are still so popular with the UK audience! I firmly believe that better readers become better thinkers and I think libraries are an integral part of any community as they are essential in helping to share and spread the joy of reading”.

Top 10 most borrowed authors in 2016/17

1. James Patterson
2. Julia Donaldson
3. Daisy Meadows
4. Roald Dahl
5. Roderick Hunt
6. Francesca Simon
7. M C Beaton
8. Adam Blade
9. Nora Roberts
10. Jacqueline Wilson

Top 10 most borrowed titles in 2016/17

1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (hardback edition)
2. Make Me by Lee Child (hardback edition)
3. Night School by Lee Child
4. Personal by Lee Child
5. Make Me by Lee Child (paperback edition)
6. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (paperback edition)
7. When the Music’s Over by Peter Robinson
8. Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer
9. Bullseye by James Patterson
10. The Last Mile by David Baldacci

In the UK, PLR is administered on behalf of the Government by the British Library. It gives authors the legal right to receive payment from government each time their books are loaned through the public library system.

In February 2018 PLR distributed £6 million to 22,108 authors at a rate of 8.20p per loan. From 1 July 2018 PLR has started to collect ebook loans data. Any payments arising from the newly eligible loans will be made for the first time in February 2020.

If you’re not already registered with PLR, ALCS strongly recommends that you register to ensure you receive any money owed to you.

Further details can be found on the PLR website.

Information on PLR International can be found here.