Creator Payments 2018-19

Content Separator

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

Payments by Province and Territory (2018–2019)
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.