Public Lending Right Program
What’s the Public Lending Right Program? How do I register? Where do I find my book details? We’ve put together some handy FAQs to guide you through the process.
What is the Public Lending Right (PLR) Program?
Canada’s Public Lending Right program was established in 1986 and ensures the right of creators (authors, illustrators, translators, photographers and audiobook narrators) to receive payment for free public use of their works in libraries. More than 30 countries around the world have PLR programs.
In Canada, PLR payments are based on the presence of a title in public library catalogues that are consulted during the annual PLR survey.
Do I need to register my books?
If you want to get paid, yes! After a book has been published, creators have up to five years to register their book with the PLR Program.
What do I need to do to register?
If you are new to the PLR program, the registration process might seem daunting, but it’s worth the time. Step-by-step instructions, with applicable forms to download, can be found at publiclendingright.ca
For step 3, you will need to record the ISBN (a unique 13-digit identifier) for each format of every book you plan to register. You can quickly find these ISBNs on the Orca website at orcabook.com. Search for your book by title; the book’s webpage will show you a list of all available formats with ISBNs.
What Happens After I Sign Up?
You will be notified of your eligibility and, if applicable, receive any payments the following year. The calculation of PLR payments is determined by the Public Lending Right Commission, an advisory body of the Canada Council for the Arts. The payment process takes a full year and involves four main steps: registering titles, verifying title eligibility, sampling of public library collections, and preparing and issuing payments.
