You are:

Me and my job - Sarah Beamson

25 January 2010

Working at a small organisation in the north east of England, Sarah Beamson helps authors get paid when their books are loaned out by libraries

The next time you take your favourite thriller off the shelves of your local public library, you are doing your bit to keep a dozen PCS members in work.

This is because behind the annual payments authors get for every book borrowed, are Sarah Beamson and her colleagues at the Public Lending Right (PLR) office in Stockton on Tees.

A non-departmental public body set up in the early 1980s after lobbying by authors, PLR has just 13 staff and is therefore one of the smallest branches in our union.

You probably wouldn’t have heard of us unless you move in literary circles, Sarah said. I hadn’t before I started working here. That was 18 years ago when Sarah started as a temp on a three-month contract. The fact she is still there tells you something about what kind of office it is to work in.

It’s a nice place, there’s a very friendly atmosphere. We do an important job, but it’s not stressful.

Now part time after the birth of her daughter in 2001, Sarah is one of two PCS reps in the office and works as a library specialist corresponding with libraries and making sure they are able to provide accurate information.

A real public service

Lack of resources means PLR can’t monitor all libraries in the UK all the time, so it bases its payments on a representative sample that includes libraries from all regions.

Currently using 23 library authorities, covering hundreds of branches, the reports create national estimates for every book with an ISBN • its unique identifying number.

To help ensure fairness and accuracy at least seven of the authorities are replaced each year and no library can stay in the sample for more than four years.

The team is currently in the process of working out how much each author is due, to be paid this month.

The scheme is free for authors to register; the only requirements are that they are resident in the UK and their book has been printed and bound, and has an ISBN. The most an author can be paid in a year is £6,600 and the least is £1.

It doesn’t matter how many books they have written or what their sales are, Sarah said.

This can be a lifeline for many authors, like local interest writers. For many, their PLR payment is the only indication they get that their work is being read.

This public service is recognised by some of the bestsellers, including Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with a Pearl Earring and a member of the PLR advisory board.

Tracy said: Writers who benefit are not always top of the bestseller lists. Often they are lesser known authors, appreciated by readers and hence by PLR.

My day

Sarah Beamson
Public Lending Right office
Library specialist

There is no typical working day because a lot of our work is based around an annual cycle from 1 July to 30 June. At the moment we are doing the statements of each the author’s earnings for 2008 – 09.

Generally, I check my email to see whether the loans data has been sent. If so, I import it into the system and check it is formatted correctly.  I then send library authorities a report of their top 25 loaned books.

I also check our registration log, to see whether any new authors have applied for an online account. I also check for any amendments to existing such as change of address or bank details.

I chase up any outstanding enquiries with our library management system suppliers, and have to remind them which library authorities are new to, continuing in or leaving the sample.

I also help out with telephone enquiries from authors, answering things like their earnings, how the PLR sample works, how they can register themselves and their books.

Social Bookmarking

How to use social bookmarking