It's that time of year where the Authors' Licensing and Collection Society (ALCS) remind authors and writers to register any contributions to books and magazines.
What is ALCS
They're a wonderful not-for-profit organisation that makes sure writers receive the money that they're entitled to, when someone copies or uses their works. They collect money from all over the world too, so it's surprising how much it can add up.
In a nutshell, if you've ever written anything and had it published or even broadcast, then you can join ALCS and claim your royalties.
I've told many of my knitting and crochet designer friends about this and they've been delighted to receive a nice little payment each year. Don't get me wrong; it's not millions, but it all adds up doesn't it and its great that there is an organisation to collect the monies on our behalf and distribute it fairly.
I've received well over £1000 over the last 4 years and I still have some articles to add for this year too.
Find out more about ALCS
You can read all about how it works and how they collect the payments for secondary use, over at ALCS.co.uk and you will need to register to join and add your works, so have a think about your designs/patterns, any articles, features or contributions (or full books if you have those too).
ALCS collect payments from all over the world, so it's worth looking into.
In fact, if you also have books published in your name or you're a co-author on the title page then you can also register these at the Public Lending Library (www.bl.uk). The PLR will also send you a nice little cheque each year for secondary uses (such as library lending).
What information will I need to enter?
As well as your personal and banking details (for payment) you will need to know some information about the magazines, books and journals that your work has been published in, including the ISBN code (always printed on the cover) and ISSN code (for magazines (also on the cover).
I had no idea that these extra incomes streams were there just waiting to be claimed, and I don't want you to miss out, so head over to each site to find out more. I think a small one-off charge is applied for ALCS but they take it out of the first payment and it's really worth it for the work they do.
I hope this is of help to you if you have featured in any knitting or crochet books or magazines, or any broadcasts.