Creator Payments 2018-19
Statistics – February 2019
Overview of the 2018-2019 PLR Program
Registered authors: 19,769
Authors receiving payments: 17,255
Eligible titles in PLR database: 83,120
Titles found: 75,981
Total amount paid to authors: $12,282,712.51
Minimum author payment: $50.00
Maximum author payment: $4,123.00
Average author payment: $712.00
Median author payment: $353.40
Distribution of Author Payments
| Province | Number of authors | Total Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 245 | $127,646.44 |
| Nova Scotia | 592 | $340,483.74 |
| Prince Edward Island | 69 | $42,081.28 |
| New Brunswick | 388 | $216,002.04 |
| Quebec | 6,637 | $5,291,085.85 |
| Ontario | 4,915 | $3,329,812.43 |
| Manitoba | 390 | $204,739.25 |
| Saskatchewan | 330 | $197,870.52 |
| Alberta | 808 | $569,624.68 |
| British Columbia | 2,381 | $1,601,419.39 |
| Northwest Territories | 18 | $9,414.78 |
| Yukon | 23 | $13,211.64 |
| Nunavut | 1 | $51.54 |
| Outside Canada | 458 | $339,268.93 |
| Total | 17,255 | $12,282,712.51 |
Library sampling
PLR payments are determined based on how often a title shows up in an annual survey of select public library system catalogues across Canada. We survey a selection of public library systems in each official language.
Calculating the payments
PLR payments are calculated using a four-category payment scale. The categories correspond to the number of years that a title has been registered with the program. This year, for any title found in the PLR’s library sampling, the payment was calculated as follows:
| Year Title was Registered with PLR | Payment if Title Found |
|---|---|
| Category I: 2014 to 2018 | $58.90 |
| Category II: 2009 to 2013 | $47.12 |
| Category III: 2004 to 2008 | $41.23 |
| Category IV: 1994 - 2002 | $29.45 |
The amounts in this scale apply to authors claiming 100% of a PLR payment. In situations where there is more than one eligible contributor to a book, payment is calculated based on the percentage of the book’s content that was claimed.
Re-Activated Files: An author whose file is re-activated will receive payments based on the category corresponding to the original date of registration of their titles.