PLR Changes: Our Comments

Picture of Martin Reed

Martin Reed

Martin was the SoA's Head of Communications from 2016 to 2024.

21 July 2017

The British Library is planning a range of improvements to Public Lending Right, the system by which authors are paid when their books are taken out of libraries, and they are accepting comments and suggestions until next Friday (28 July).

Our members are strong supporters of PLR and we lobbied hard for the recent extension of PLR to remotely lent ebooks and audiobooks. However, the PLR systems are now showing their age and we support the plans of the British Library to modernise the service and put it on a footing that will ensure its continued growth and development. We have written to the PLR team with our detailed comments.

We are particularly keen that members should report any issues they have with PLR registration, both of print books and of ebooks. We encourage you to respond to PLR before the deadline so you can influence the design of the new systems.

Send your comments or suggestions to PLR-feedback@bl.uk by Friday 28 July 2017.

11 March 2026

The Society of Authors (SoA) has launched a Human Authored scheme to help identify works written by humans in a market increasingly flooded by AI-generated books.

10 March 2026

Around 10,000 authors have come together to publish an empty book protesting against the theft of books by tech companies to train AI models.

6 March 2026

The proposals prioritise a licensing‑first model for AI training, backed by a clear Government statement and stronger transparency requirements.