Supporting Malta’s living authors through the Public Lending Rights Scheme

Balancing accessibility with economic sustainability

Libraries play a vital role in society by providing free access to books and knowledge. Through borrowing, libraries promote literacy, equality, and lifelong learning.

At the same time, books are protected by copyright, and they are the result of the creative and intellectual labour of authors, editors, and publishers. Writing and publishing a book requires significant time, skill, and financial investment. Copyright exists to ensure that creators are recognized and fairly rewarded for their work. Without proper compensation, authors and publishers may struggle to continue producing high-quality books.

For this reason, it is important to balance free access to books with fair recompense for those who create them. In Malta, the National Book Council (NBC) saw the need that all the stakeholders in the book industry should be compensated for the borrowing of books from the public libraries spread in Malta and Gozo. By ensuring fair compensation alongside free access, societies can support both cultural development and creative work. So, the Council sought to address this through systems such as public lending rights, which compensate authors when their books are borrowed from libraries. 

Providing structured support

After a series of meetings with the relevant government authorities, the NBC introduced the Public Lending Rights (PLR) scheme in 2014 in connection with the lending of books from public libraries in Malta and Gozo. The scheme, founded on the principle that every use of a work warrants remuneration for its creators, was designed to compensate authors, translators, editors, illustrators, and photographers whose works are made available for public borrowing. In 2021, the scheme was extended to the University of Malta Library, including a remuneration for the lending of books through that institution as well. The PLR scheme was specifically intended to help and promote living authors and translators to write new works. Currently in Malta, relatives of beneficiaries of the PLR scheme do not receive remunerations after the death of applicants.

Operating with clear eligibility guidelines

Eligibility for PLR remuneration is restricted to borrowed publications which include all printed books – such as literary works, non-fiction titles, children’s books, school textbooks, and comics or graphic novels – bearing an ISBN issued by the NBC. In addition, legal deposit of the relevant publications must have been affected with the National Bibliography Office of Malta Libraries, in compliance with Act No. 2 of 1925 and the Malta Libraries Act (2011). The scheme is funded by the Malta Government allocating €80,000 annually, and the payments are issued quarterly to all subscribers.

Servicing hundreds of authors… and always open for more

With regard to the criteria governing the distribution of funds under the PLR scheme, it should be noted that in Malta remuneration is currently calculated on a flat-rate basis, proportionate to the number of loans recorded on a quarterly basis. To prevent disproportionate compensation of highly successful authors in the children’s literature sector, there is an annual cap of €5,000 for authors of children’s books.

The PLR scheme comprises nearly 325 authors, translators, editors, illustrators, and photographers who benefit from its quarterly distributions. The National Book Council encourages authors who have not yet enrolled in the scheme to apply online by completing the application form available on the NBC website: https://ktieb.org.mt/public-lending-rights/

One of many pillars of support

The PLR scheme offers important, and direct, structural support to authors. It is one of the many initiatives managed by the NBC, whose mission is to elevate the local literary ecosystem through both direct, targeted support and public-facing events aimed at placing the Maltese book at the forefront of people’s daily lives.

Its flagship event is the Malta Book Festival – this year taking place between 4-8 November, once again at the MFCC, Ta’ Qali after a hugely successful edition in 2025, which saw around 40,000 attendees from all walks of life.

In 2026, the NBC will continue its work further informed by its Five-Year Strategic Vision, launched in the previous year and aiming to provide a structured roadmap for its multi-faceted remit. Among the early strategic deliverables for this year is the inaugural edition of the Annual Book Conference – taking place on 8 May at DoubleTree by Hilton in Qawra – which will focus on ‘The Economy and the Book’ through a series of talks and panel discussions aimed at fuelling inspiring discussions on how we can enrich the local literary sector, drawing from expertise of both local and international practitioners and experts.

To stay updated on the National Book Council and its ongoing work, visit https://ktieb.org.mt/ and follow National Book Council (Malta) on Facebook, and @nationalbookcouncil_malta/ on Instagra