SoA calls on government to 'urgently review' proposed 55% PLR reduction

The Society of Authors (SoA) has called on the government to "urgently review" a proposed 55% cut to the Public Lending Right (PLR) rate in libraries. 

Sheila Bennett, head of libraries strategy and delivery at the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) set out the proposal to decrease the rate following more normal library usage after Covid-19 restrictions in a letter to the SoA, dated 23rd October. 

It outlined a proposal to decrease PLR by 16.84p—from 30.53p to 13.69p—from the rate per loan for 2021/22 payments. 

The government suggested that since normal library lending has resumed since the pandemic, the higher rate of payment is not needed. “Book loans in the two preceding PLR Scheme years were affected by restrictions in place due to Covid-19, with library users having limited physical access to library buildings. With the restrictions no longer in place, the borrowing of books has been returning to near pre-covid levels and consequently led to a reduction in the annual rate per loan. This reduction is likely to have a minimal impact on the overall distribution of earnings, with payments between the different bands closely matching previous years" the letter said. 

In response, Nicola Solomon, c.e.o at the SoA, said while the organisation is "delighted that libraries have fully reopened and that loans have increased" a decrease in the PLR rate "is very disappointing". "We would urge DCMS to urgently review the PLR fund" she said. 

“PLR continues to be an important source of earnings for authors particularly those whose books are sold mainly to libraries and those whose books are no longer in print but are still being read. The scheme ensures that funds reach a wide range of authors, beyond top sellers, which is very important if we want to encourage diversity in writing.” 

In June, the DCMS launched a consultation about PLR which will also see the British Library move towards collecting comprehensive loans data from all library authorities in the UK. Currently it uses a sample of data from 30 councils to assist payment calculations.

The changes mean that the more an authors’ books are loaned out by public libraries, the more income an author will receive through the scheme. The government confirmed the changes earlier this month so that authors earn up to £6,600 from loans of their books from libraries from this autumn. 

The DCMS has asked organisations to send views on the subject by 17th November 2023 to rate_per_loan@dcms.gov.uk.