For any questions about membership subscriptions, application, renewals and benefits, please contact us. Please read the membership criteria below before you apply.
Membership of the Publishers Association is open to any business which the Council deems to be a bona fide publisher of books, journals, ebooks, or audiobooks in the United Kingdom.
Subscription fees are scaled according to your turnover and subject to VAT at the prevailing rate. Subscriptions must be paid on the total applicable turnover for the business, as defined below and including all publishing businesses acquired in the previous year.
If your turnover is below £9 million (Bands 1-3), the fees are fixed, and your membership runs for 12-months from the date of joining. Businesses that meet the criteria for this membership can apply online.
If your turnover is above £9 million (Bands 4-5a), the fee is calculated at a variable rate. You will pay a fixed minimum amount plus a small percentage for every £1,000 of turnover that is above the lower band. Journal publishers in this category enjoy an attractive 35% discount on their journal turnover portion. The membership term runs for 12-months from 1st January (or pro-rata if you join part-way through the calendar year). Businesses that meet the criteria for this membership and wish to apply are encouraged to get in touch with our membership manager Zuzana.
Please note that as part of your application, you will be asked to provide a sample publication and current catalogue or intended publishing programme in the UK.
Band | Turnover | Subscription (excl VAT) | Rate per £1,000 turnover above the lower band |
---|---|---|---|
1a | Up to £250k | £250 | n/a |
1b | £250k – £500k | £495 | n/a |
1c | £500k – £1m | £995 | n/a |
1d | £1m – £2.5m | £1,995 | n/a |
2 | £2.5m – £4.5m | £3,085 | n/a |
3 | £4.5m – £9m | £5,145 | n/a |
4 | £9m – £18m | £14,740 | plus £0.945 per £1,000 over £9 million and pro-rata |
5 | £18m – £34m | £23,257 | plus £0.675 per £1,000 over £18 million and pro-rata |
5a | Over £34m | £34,072 | plus £0.460 per £1,000 over £34 million and pro-rata |
Membership of the Publishers Association is open to businesses which the Council deems to be bona fide publishers of books, journals, ebooks, or audiobooks in the United Kingdom. When considering applications for membership, the Council is required to satisfy itself that the following criteria have been met:
Cessation of membership
A member in Bands 4-5a who has not notified the Publishers Association in writing by 30 September of the preceding year of its wish to resign from the Association remains liable for the coming year’s subscription.
Consolidation of turnover
Publishers in the same group (as defined for accounting purposes in the Finance Acts) are entitled to consolidate their turnover for subscription purposes. When subscriptions are consolidated in this way, only the company which pays the subscription is entitled to vote at a general meeting or election.
Membership of publishing groups
Our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that, except as determined otherwise by the Council in any particular case, all the associated parts of any company or group which the Council considers to be under common control, and which are eligible for membership, must be in membership of the Publishers Association. In exercising its discretion under this paragraph, the Council normally requires that companies which are required to consolidate their accounts by the appropriate legislation shall be regarded as being under common control, but exceptions may be made for companies in a group that do not have common management links between them.
Financial year for subscription purposes
For subscription purposes, the financial year in respect of which turnover must be declared is the member’s accounting year that terminated during the twelve months up to September of the previous year for Bands 2 to 5a and the closest financial year for those in Band 1.
VAT
Subscriptions are liable to VAT at the standard rate.
Publishing businesses acquired in the previous year should be included in the total turnover declared.
For the purpose of calculating your subscription, the turnover that must be declared includes all publishing revenue associated with the company. This includes, but is not limited to, the following categories:
Membership is open to non-publishers through our Associate Membership. Find out more.
The annual subscription for Associate Membership is based upon business turnover. Membership is for a term of 12-months and all fees are exclusive of VAT. Membership is continuing unless 60 days notice is given in writing of your intention to resign from membership.
Turnover | Fee |
---|---|
Up to £50k | £100.00 |
£50k – £250k | £250.00 |
£250k – £1m | £995.00 |
£1m – £5m | £1,995.00 |
Over £5m | £2,995.00 |