PLR

Libraries are great...except if you're an author. It's not something we as readers think about, but as an author, lost sales through public sharing could result in you eating Ramen despite having a fairly popular novel. Luckily, Canada’s Public Lending Right program ensures that you will still make money despite your book not actually being sold. 

Public Lending Right, or PLR, simply compensates for works available in public libraries or through governmental support of the arts. While it’s a little bit of work - you need to register for it yourself, and that’s if you meet the eligibility. But you only need to do it once, and each year you gain more. Illustrators, photographers, even translators can benefit from PLR - essentially, as long as your name is on the work, you can be compensated for your lost sales. 

Just how would you make? In Canada, an author receives $38.30 for each book in the library, with a maximum of $2 681. It’s not a lot, granted, but it’s better than nothing. The only real pitfall is that PLR does not apply to ebooks. Also, you can’t apply on behalf of someone that has died, not even by their estate - so if your great-great-grandfather was Mark Twain, you’re out of luck when it comes to PLR.

Still confused about this whole ordeal? The Canadian PLR website has a great FAQ section.

PLR is a great way to ensure that everyone wins when it comes to lending books. While it doesn't compensate penny for penny (er...make that dollar for dollar), it makes it a little more 'fair' for writers to have their books in libraries or shared through the government. Authors are still making money despite losing sales, and who doesn’t like getting free books at the library?