What Is Public Lending Right in Canada? How PLR Pays Authors and Illustrators
Annual Registration
It's February and that means that this week, the annual registration window opened for new titles under Canada’s Public Lending Right program. What does that matter? Well if you've read our book, Shelved, you already know how this can pay you for up to 25 years!If you are a Canadian creator with books published recently, this is the window to make sure those titles are registered, so be sure to gather all of your documents together and add your titles to their program today!
Missed Registering?
If you're reading this and the current window is closed, be sure to sign up for notification from their program for next year and they will email you a reminder to sign up next time.
What is the Public Lending Right (PLR)?
The PLR is administered by the Canada Council for the Arts and recognizes the role that public libraries play in Canadian cultural life. More than 18,000 Canadian authors receive a payment each year and each title can be paid for up to 25 years.The idea behind PLR is simple. When books are purchased by public libraries and made available to readers, creators contribute to the cultural fabric of the country. Instead of being paid per checkout/borrow, eligible creators receive annual payments based on whether their registered books are found in a sample of participating public library systems.
The PLR, sadly, is not an automatic process even when depositing titles to the Library and Archives of Canada titles must be registered by the person eligible for the payment to be sent directly to the PLR Program. If a book is not registered with this program, it is not searched and, if it is not searched, it cannot generate a payment.
Registration Window
The window to register is only open for a small amount of time each year (usually mid-February - end of May) so it's important not to miss this opportunity or you'll have to wait another year to add your titles.
Illustrators, Translators, Editors and More Qualify for Canada's PLR Payments
What is often overlooked is that PLR is not only about authors. In Canada, illustrators, translators, editors and certain other contributors may also qualify. This matters deeply in children’s publishing, where books are collaborative by nature. A picture book is rarely the work of a single person. The recognition of shared creative input is built into the structure of the program.
Global Public Lending Rights Programs
Canada is not alone in this type of program. Public Lending Right systems exist in over 30 other countries. Each program operates differently. Some calculate payments per loan. Others, like Canada’s, are based on library holdings. The details vary, but the underlying principle is consistent. When books live on public shelves, creators should share in that value.
Canada’s PLR program is a member of Public Lending Right International (PLRI). PLRI brings together organizations that oversee PLR programs around the world exchange information, develop best practices and promote PLR programs. Learn more about PLRI.
Libraries Matter
There is a narrative circulating online that libraries do not matter for independent authors. I do not agree with that. Libraries purchase books. They keep them circulating for years. They introduce stories to families who may later choose to buy their own copies. They preserve cultural work beyond the volatility of retail platforms. I talked about this in a previous blog post, Libraries Help Indie Authors and Their Communities.
PLR adds something more to that equation. It means that even if a book is sitting on a shelf in a small branch in a small town, it still counts. It is still part of the ecosystem. It still contributes.
How much money can I get?
Payments are calculated annually using a set of criteria noted below. Your payment will depend on how many times your book is found in library collections as part of the annual PLR library catalogue sampling and on payment calculations.
Note: If, after five consecutive years of sampling, a title has not been found, it will be removed from your file.
At this time the minimum payment send to each person is $50.
The maximum possible payment varies every year, based on available budget and number of registered titles. As an example, in 2025–26, it was $4,500.
When will I get my payment?
Payments are provided in mid-February every year.
How are payments calculated?
The following steps will be followed for each title submitted with the program by an eligible creator:
1. Verification of title eligibility (first time only)
Is the book in an eligible genre? Is the creator’s contribution eligible?
2. Library catalogue sampling (yearly)
To receive a payment, your book must be found in one or more of the selected groups of public library systems sampled that year.
How libraries are selected for the PLR Payments in Canada
Public library systems with large collections from all provinces, territories and regions of Canada are selected. To understand the types of libraries selected, see the historical list of sampled libraries on their website.
How titles are counted in the Canadian PLR Program
Once the registration window is closed and titles verified, the program will search for all eligible books in the selected group of library systems. The number of copies of a title and number of times the book is checked out are not counted, whether a given library has one or more copies of the book is what matters.
3. Payment calculations
Payments are calculated yearly. Payments for each title are based on the library sampling results; the creator’s share of the title; how long the title has been registered with the program; and the amount of money available in the program’s budget and the total number of eligible titles.
Payment per title = Hit rate × Number of library groupings where title is found × share × time adjustment
Hit rate
The hit rate for 2025–26 was $60.14 per title.
Note: This amount will change from year to year based on program funding and the total number of registered titles found in library sampling.
Library sampling results
The number of times the title is found in the sampled libraries (0-8).
Payment Share
The payment share is the percentage you are paid based on your contribution to the work. See the share information to understand how this is calculated.
Time adjustment
Payments are adjusted based on the number of years a title has been registered with the program and not on its publication year:
Years title registered with PLR:
- 0–5 years (Category I) 100%
- 6–10 years (Category II) 80%
- 11–15 years (Category III) 70%
- 16–25 years (Category IV) 50%
Calculation example
An illustrator has contributed to a children’s book, which was registered 7 years ago and found in 5 libraries. The hit rate in 2025–26 was $60.14. The title was found 5 times. The illustrator’s share is 50%. Their time adjustment is 80%.
The hit rate ($60.14) is multiplied by the number of times the title was found (5) x the share (0.50) x the time adjustment (0.8). The payment amount for this title is $120.28.
If the illustrator has other titles registered with the program, those payments will be calculated and then aggregated in the payment sent to the illustrator.
Maximum Payment for Each Creator
The maximum payment for 2025–26 was $4,500. This amount will vary each year so be sure to check the PLR site for updated amounts.
A creator will receive one payment for the sum of all their title payments. The hit rate varies according to the number of registered titles and the amount of money available in the program’s budget.
Don't Miss the Registration Window
If you are eligible and you have new titles this year, this is the time to pay attention. Not because it is dramatic, not because it will change everything overnight. But because infrastructure matters. And creative income, especially in children’s publishing, is often built slowly, deliberately, and over time.
Current Contact Information
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