Creator Payments 2021-22
Statistics – February 2022
Overview of the 2021-22 PLR Program
Registered authors: 20,278
Authors receiving payments: 18,139
Eligible titles in PLR database: 89,551
Titles found: 81,328
Total amount paid to authors: $14,999,662.90
Minimum author payment: $50.00
Maximum author payment: $4,500.00
Average author payment: $827.00
Median author payment: $402.96
Distribution of Author Payments
| Province | Number of authors | Total Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 249 | $161,432.37 |
| Nova Scotia | 638 | $449,063,60 |
| Prince Edward Island | 72 | $52,820.35 |
| New Brunswick | 438 | $268,169.91 |
| Quebec | 7,137 | $6,498,776.12 |
| Ontario | 4,963 | $3,916,267.33 |
| Manitoba | 393 | $261,389.21 |
| Saskatchewan | 333 | $238,991.18 |
| Alberta | 929 | $753,089.30 |
| British Columbia | 2,484 | $1,962,202.57 |
| Northwest Territories | 21 | $11,458.60 |
| Yukon | 26 | $15,904.85 |
| Nunavut | 3 | $2,019.76 |
| Outside Canada | 453 | $408,077.75 |
| Total | 18,139 | $14,999,622.90 |
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 each participating system for all eligible titles.
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: 2017 to 2021 | $62.96 |
| Category II: 2012 to 2016 | $50.37 |
| Category III: 2007 to 2011 | $44.07 |
| Category IV: 1996 - 2006 | $37.38 |
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.