Live Literature invoicing and expenses

Author fees

The Live Literature fee is £200 per session. We also pay VAT if it is claimed, as well as expenses within set guidelines. The Live Literature fee increased in 2024 – visit our fee update page to find out more about the increase. 

Authors listed on the directory who take part in Live Literature funded events are paid:

• £200 for one session (i.e. an author visit lasting approximately an hour – find out what a session does and doesn't cover)
• Travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses

How organisations pay for Live Literature sessions

Scottish Book Trust invoices organisations for part of the author's fee after the event has taken place. It will cost:

• For funding awarded before September 2024, £75 per session, £90 including VAT (some organisations can reclaim VAT)
• For funding awarded from September 2024, £85 per session, £102 including VAT (some organisations can reclaim VAT)
• Nothing for travel and accommodation, we will cover these so you can invite an author from anywhere in Scotland knowing we'll help them get to you

Payment process

• Before the event, organisations fill in their half of the claim form – which they can download and print ahead of time. You'll find the form in your confirmation email. If you need a new form, email us at [email protected](this link will open in a new window).
• Authors then take this form away, add their own details and any expenses and send it to Scottish Book Trust.
• We pay the authors via bank transfer once we have the claim form and any receipts. Once we have everything we need, we aim to pay within 30 days.
• We'll then invoice organisations for their part of the fee. You'll have 30 days to pay.
• Organisations should never pay an author directly. If you have, email us at [email protected](this link will open in a new window).
• If you're running a few events and not all of them have Live Literature funding, please make sure your author knows how many events they should be claiming for. We recommend also making a note on the claim form!
• Lost a receipt? Please email [email protected](this link will open in a new window).

Claiming author expenses

To make sure authors and communities can connect from all over Scotland, we pay travel and accommodation expenses for Live Literature events.

Travel

We will cover travel expenses (including flights, where necessary) with the exception of luxury travel. We try to support as many authors as possible within our budget so cannot provide first class fares.

• Mileage is reimbursed at 45p per mile.
• If you cycle to the event you can claim 20p per mile.
• If you are travelling by train, ferry or plane, please book standard class tickets.
• Booking as far ahead of time as possible can make a big difference to the price of tickets. Please make sure to book early if you can.
• Car hire should not be considered unless it's not possible to reach the destination using public transport, or where someone has specific access needs. If it's possible and significantly cheaper to use public transport we ask authors to do this. However if there isn't a significant difference in price and travel would be significantly quicker by car, please contact us to discuss any rental costs involved.
• If you have any concerns about paying out expenses in advance or claiming them back, email us at [email protected](this link will open in a new window) as soon as possible.
• If you need to use a particular form of transport due to access issues, please let us know.

Accommodation

Sometimes it is not possible to get to your event and back in the same day. If you are staying overnight, we will reimburse accommodation costs up to £80 per overnight stay. We need to see a receipt or booking confirmation from your hotel. If you cannot find a hotel for £80 or under within a reasonable distance of your event, let us know before booking.

Where you are staying with friends or family rather than rented accommodation, we can reimburse up to £40 to help with the additional costs involved.

Food

We reimburse refreshments up to £25 per overnight stay or up to £10 if you do not stay overnight. We need to see a receipt for your purchases. This is separate to your accommodation costs; for example, an overnight hotel stay can be reimbursed to a maximum level of £105 for subsistence and accommodation.