The Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS) is to distribute £10 million to 40,000 writers at its biannual royalty payout this month, a 12 per cent increase on last year.
The society collects copyright fees for writers, including journalists, which would be too time-consuming or expensive for the authors to collect.
Writers received a total of £14m in the 2005-06 financial year from the society in payment for secondary use of their work, such as online use.
Jane Carr, CEO of ALCS, said: "Acknowledging writers and the contribution they make to our creative industries and burgeoning ‘knowledge economy’ has never been more important. The money writers earn from secondary rights is fair reward for their creativity and the valuable contribution they make. At ALCS we are working continuously to ensure that writers are recognised and rewarded for the role they play in the value chain."
More information is available at www.alcs.co.uk
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