Register. Everything. Always - Ciaran Murtagh

It's a quick blog from me today. I am in the middle of a back to school maelstrom. My son went back to school today, my wife goes back to teach on Monday and my daughter goes next Thursday. To say things are a little tense is an understatement.  So... 

We're coming to pay out season and I wanted to remind you to register EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER WRITTEN AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN. 

You've done the work, now let it work for you - y'see, I could have had a career in marketing if I wanted one. 

The top one for authors is PLR, which stands for Public Lending Right. It's the money you get when your books are loaned out of libraries. You can find it here:

PLR WEBSITE

Register everything you have written. Recently I have been writing a lot of educational titles - register those too. You will get money. 

Next up is ALCS, which stands for Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society. You can find it here:

ALCS WEBSITE

It's a bit of a misnomer this one as it will also pay out on any screenwriting you have done. So if you're a screenwriter make sure your work is registered. You have until 10th September to sort it all out prior to an October payout. 

Finally - for me at least - register with SACD.  This is a biggie for screenwriters. This one stands for Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques and it's by far the biggest payer. It's the French equivalent of ALCS. Not everything you write will be eligible for an SACD payout, but if you know you have written something for a French broadcaster, producer or publisher then please check out if they have money for you. 

Unlike the others they pay out continuously over the year and, despite the hassle, the rates are far higher so it is worth your time. I urge you to look into it. You can find them here:

SACD WEBSITE

They're the big three for me. Have I missed anything obvious? And if  anyone has any more hot tips for making your work work for you, drop 'em in the comments.