New creator

If you are an Australian creator with an eligible book in Australian libraries, you may be able to receive payments through the Australian Lending Rights schemes.

The schemes recognise the income lost through the free multiple use of books in Australian public, school, university and TAFE libraries. These payments support Australian writing by compensating eligible creators and publishers for copies of their books held in lending libraries across Australia.

You can register and make your first title claim through Lending Rights Online.

Check your eligibility

You may be eligible if you are:

an author
an illustrator
an editor
a translator

or otherwise contributed a significant proportion of original content to the whole or a part of the book.

You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident and be entitled to receive ongoing royalties from the sale of your book.

If you received a flat fee instead of ongoing royalties or an equivalent financial interest, you are not eligible to claim as a creator for that book.

Check your book is eligible

Eligible books include printed books, ebooks and audiobooks that:

have an ISBN
have been published and offered for sale
are claimed within 5 years from the year of publication
have a catalogue record in a national bibliographic database, such as the Schools Catalogue Information Service or the Australian National Bibliographic Database
have individual creators, not companies or organisations
are original works protected by copyright and not wholly or substantially created using artificial intelligence.

Items that are not eligible include:

music and audio-visual material
magazines and other serial publications
games or cards
single-use books, such as activity books, sticker books or workbooks
items without an ISBN
items that only have an Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN).

Self-published books

If you wrote, illustrated, translated or otherwise created the book and published it yourself, you should register and claim as both a creator and a publisher.

When to claim

You should lodge your title claim after your book is published and no later than 5 years after the year of publication.

New title claims close on 31 March each year.

For the current claim period, the deadline for new title claims is 31 March 2027.

What you need to do

Register as a creator

Go to Lending Rights Online and register as a 'New Claimant'.

We recommend registering within 4 weeks of your expected publication date, with your first title claim to be submitted following your book's publication.

After you submit your registration, you will receive an email confirmation with your unique claimant number.

You will need your claimant number and password to sign in to Lending Rights Online.

Submit your first title claim

A title claim is how you tell us about a book you want to claim for.

If you wrote, translated or illustrated a traditionally published book, ebook or audiobook and are entitled to receive ongoing royalties, submit a creator title claim.

Your book might come in different editions or formats with different ISBNs. Include all these details when you make your title claim. If a new edition or format is published with a new ISBN, you will need to submit a new claim for that ISBN.

Print books and ebooks can be submitted on the same claim form. For audiobooks, complete a separate claim form.

You only need to claim each book, edition or format once. You do not need to submit the same claims every year.

What you can do in Lending Rights Online

Once your account is set up, you can use Lending Rights Online to:

view your records
change your password
submit new title claims
update your contact and bank details
view your payment history once you have received your first payment.

If you can't use Lending Rights Online, we have paper forms available to register as a new claimant, make a title claim and change your address and bank details.

How payments work

Registering and claiming does not guarantee a payment.

Payments are based on:

the estimated number of copies of your book held in public and educational lending libraries
the proportion of royalties you receive for the book
the applicable Public Lending Right (PLR) and Educational Lending Right (ELR) payment rates.

PLR and ELR payments are calculated and paid separately.

A payment may be made if 50 or more copies of an eligible book are estimated to be held in the libraries surveyed for a scheme.

Your total calculated payment must also reach at least $100 for you to receive a payment.

We will notify you in May if you are due to receive a payment. Payments are deposited into your nominated bank account by 30 June each year.

FAQs for new creators

Do I need to claim the same book every year?

No. You only need to submit a title claim once, unless the book is republished in a new edition or format with a new ISBN.

Can I claim for an ebook or audiobook?

Yes. Ebooks and audiobooks can be claimed if they meet all other eligibility requirements.

What if I can't use Lending Rights Online?

Lending Rights Online (LRO) is the preferred way to submit title claims and update your account. If you can't use it, you can complete a paper form.

Paper forms take longer to process. Allow 5 to 10 business days for the requested action to be completed.

These forms may not meet WCAG 2.0 requirements. For accessible versions, please email lendingrights@arts.gov.au

Completed forms can be emailed to lendingrights@arts.gov.au or posted to: Lending Rights, GPO Box 3241, Canberra ACT 2601.

Can I claim if my ebook only has an Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN)?

No. Books (including ebooks and audiobooks) must have an ISBN to be eligible for Lending Rights.

How do I get an ISBN for my book?

Visit the Australian ISBN Agency for information about purchasing an ISBN.

Can I receive back payments for years before I claimed?

No. Back payments are not made for books that were not claimed in previous program years.

What should I put in the royalty section?

You should enter the proportion of royalties you receive out of the total royalties your publisher pays to creators for the book. This proportion is used to calculate any PLR or ELR payment due to you for that book.

For example, if you and another creator each receive an equal royalty rate for a book you worked on together, you would list your percentage entitlement to royalties on your title claim form as '50%'. Alternatively, if you are the sole creator of the book entitled to receive royalties, you would list your percentage entitlement to royalties as '100%'.

Are Lending Rights payments the same as Copyright Agency payments?

No. The Copyright Agency is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that makes payments under collective licensing arrangements. You may wish to register your works with them as well.