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| Thousands of UK authors to get extra library payments after accounting error found | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Thousands of UK authors have missed out on a total of £264,000 in payments after a manual error was made by the organisation which pays writers when their books are borrowed from libraries. | Thousands of UK authors have missed out on a total of £264,000 in payments after a manual error was made by the organisation which pays writers when their books are borrowed from libraries. |
| In February, it was announced that 22,347 authors would be paid £6m by the Public Lending Right (PLR) scheme this year, at a rate-per-library loan of 7.67p. But in a statement issued today, PLR, which is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through the British Library, said the National Audit Office had found a mistake in its calculations. It said this was a “manual input error”, which had meant that the overall loans for the London region were under-represented when calculating the total sample. | In February, it was announced that 22,347 authors would be paid £6m by the Public Lending Right (PLR) scheme this year, at a rate-per-library loan of 7.67p. But in a statement issued today, PLR, which is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through the British Library, said the National Audit Office had found a mistake in its calculations. It said this was a “manual input error”, which had meant that the overall loans for the London region were under-represented when calculating the total sample. |
| Related: Crime fiction steals top slots in UK library loans | Related: Crime fiction steals top slots in UK library loans |
| In total, said PLR today, 14,800 authors were affected by the error, with additional payments amounting to approximately £264,000 to be made to the writers over the next week. PLR said the money was being funded from its contingency administration budget (£150,000) and British Library reserves (£114,000), and would not affect funding for future years. | In total, said PLR today, 14,800 authors were affected by the error, with additional payments amounting to approximately £264,000 to be made to the writers over the next week. PLR said the money was being funded from its contingency administration budget (£150,000) and British Library reserves (£114,000), and would not affect funding for future years. |
| “Following consultation with the Department for Culture Media and Sport and with their approval, authors whose payments are affected will receive an extra payment. Additional loans using the recalculated figures will be paid at 7.67p, the agreed rate per loan for 2014-15,” said the libraries body. | “Following consultation with the Department for Culture Media and Sport and with their approval, authors whose payments are affected will receive an extra payment. Additional loans using the recalculated figures will be paid at 7.67p, the agreed rate per loan for 2014-15,” said the libraries body. |
| The PLR, which was established in 1979 by an act of parliament and which has paid out over £150m to authors over the years, apologised for the error. “We are putting measures in place including additional audit checks and system enhancements to ensure that this error will not happen again,” it said. | The PLR, which was established in 1979 by an act of parliament and which has paid out over £150m to authors over the years, apologised for the error. “We are putting measures in place including additional audit checks and system enhancements to ensure that this error will not happen again,” it said. |
| Nicola Solomon, chief executive of the Society of Authors, said: “We are sorry to hear of this error but congratulate the PLR Office on its swift and effective action in putting it right.” | Nicola Solomon, chief executive of the Society of Authors, said: “We are sorry to hear of this error but congratulate the PLR Office on its swift and effective action in putting it right.” |
| Solomon said that PLR, which pays authors for loans to a maximum of £6,600, “provides a significant and much-valued part of many authors’ incomes”, and is “particularly important to authors whose books are sold mainly to libraries and to those whose books are no longer in print but are still being read”. | Solomon said that PLR, which pays authors for loans to a maximum of £6,600, “provides a significant and much-valued part of many authors’ incomes”, and is “particularly important to authors whose books are sold mainly to libraries and to those whose books are no longer in print but are still being read”. |
| “The 2016 rate per loan calculation was 7.67 pence per loan, a significant rise from the 6.66 pence paid in 2015. It now seems that figure may have been wrongly calculated, meaning that effectively, all authors will receive a modest overpayment. We are grateful for the acknowledgment that there will be no attempt to recoup that money from authors,” said Solomon. “We know that this was a manual error – and that errors can happen. We do urge the government to ensure that PLR remains properly funded in relation to both administration and payment.” | “The 2016 rate per loan calculation was 7.67 pence per loan, a significant rise from the 6.66 pence paid in 2015. It now seems that figure may have been wrongly calculated, meaning that effectively, all authors will receive a modest overpayment. We are grateful for the acknowledgment that there will be no attempt to recoup that money from authors,” said Solomon. “We know that this was a manual error – and that errors can happen. We do urge the government to ensure that PLR remains properly funded in relation to both administration and payment.” |
| The Society of Authors is also calling for PLR to be extended to the increasing number of volunteer-run libraries in the UK, and that authors be paid “for the significant loans of ebooks” lent remotely, which currently fall outside the PLR’s remit. | The Society of Authors is also calling for PLR to be extended to the increasing number of volunteer-run libraries in the UK, and that authors be paid “for the significant loans of ebooks” lent remotely, which currently fall outside the PLR’s remit. |
| “Libraries now remotely lend a significant number of ebooks (about 2 million in 2013-2014) but authors are not being remunerated for these loans, either from publishers or through the PLR system,” said Solomon. “We are working with the government and all interested parties to ensure that authors receive a fair share of licensing revenues for remote lending and press the government to introduce this as soon as possible.” | “Libraries now remotely lend a significant number of ebooks (about 2 million in 2013-2014) but authors are not being remunerated for these loans, either from publishers or through the PLR system,” said Solomon. “We are working with the government and all interested parties to ensure that authors receive a fair share of licensing revenues for remote lending and press the government to introduce this as soon as possible.” |