Call for an increase to the Public Lending Right fund and support for authors' incomes in the upcoming budget
Public Lending Right (PLR) is a way to provide authors with fair monetary remuneration for the use of their work in public libraries. It is an ideal way in which the Government can support UK writers and do it fairly for their contributions to culture that are freely available. The total fund has not increased for over ten years and we would like to urge the Government to increase this. We would also like the Government to review its income support schemes to support authors.
About the Campaign
The current circumstances of COVID-19 have made it a particularly difficult time for the creative industry, with authors’ incomes feeling the impact. The outbreak has exacerbated an ongoing problem where authors’ earnings had already fallen by 42% from 2005 to 2018, despite the creative industries being a sector that has seen consistent growth. PLR is designed to compensate authors for their contributions to a public good and, by design, it should reach a wide range of writers whose works are used. Unfortunately, the PLR fund has not increased for ten years, meaning authors are compensated at under 10p per loan for their books, less than equivalent systems in Europe, at a time when they need the support the most. When you write to your MP, please comment on what PLR has meant to you in your work as an author, as both a source of remuneration and a connection between libraries and readers.