They already enjoy huge tax-free earnings from their creative writing. Now the popularity of Cecelia Ahern, Marian Keyes and Maeve Binchy in public libraries means they will each earn a windfall of up to €8,000 from the state this year.

Details of the first full month of a new scheme that rewards authors when their books are loaned from public libraries include payments for such bestselling international writers as J K Rowling and Francesca Simon of Horrid Henry fame.

Under the Public Lending Remuneration scheme (PLR), introduced at the start of this year, authors who register and who live in the European Economic Area are entitled to a payment each time their works are borrowed. Some 1m books are loaned each month from Ireland’s 358 libraries.

According to the list for January, the Offical Driver Theory Test is the most sought after but the Road Safety Authority, which produces the guide, will not benefit as state publications do not count. This Charming Man by Keyes was the second most popular, with Binchy’s Heart and Soul next and Someone Special by Sheila O’Flanagan in fourth, ahead of Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Simon, who launched Horrid Henry on the world in 1994, is the most popular author based on the fact that copies of her books have been borrowed 4,950 times. But under the scheme’s rules Tony Ross, who illustrates her work, is entitled to a maximum of 20% of any payment.

Jacqueline Wilson, a prolific author of books for teenagers, is the second most popular writer with 1,954 books borrowed. Binchy is the most borrowed Irish author, in third place, with Keyes in fifth.

There is expected to be a cap on payments at €8,000 a year while the minimum payment may be set at €2. The Library Council has about €1m to cover payments and administration.

Irish authors have long benefited from the British scheme established in 1973. Last year 233 Irish-based authors received €163,711 from British libraries while another €16,444 was paid from libraries in Holland.

So far 40 authors have registered 295 books with the Library Council. Almost 6,000 writers who are registered with the British system have applied to be on the Irish scheme, but their applications have yet to be processed.

Binchy said many bestselling authors donate their cheques to charity but they remain an important incentive. “It’s only fair that if hundreds of people borrow your book, you get paid,” she said. “It’s especially important for those who don’t get huge sales. When you see that PLR written on an envelope your heart soars because it’s never bad news. It’s confirmation people are reading your books.”

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