Legal deposit: sending your book to the British Library

Guides for authors › Legal deposit, explained

When your book is published in the UK, there is one small legal job that many first-time authors have never heard of: legal deposit. It costs you one copy of your book and a stamp, and in return your book becomes part of the national record, kept for readers and researchers for generations. Here is what you need to know.

What legal deposit is

Legal deposit is the law that makes sure a copy of everything published in the UK is kept. Under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, the publisher of a printed book must send one copy, free of charge, to the British Library within one month of the day it is published.

"Publisher" here means whoever publishes the book. If you publish independently under your own name or imprint, that is you. If a publisher or publishing services company has taken on that job for you, check in writing who is sending the copy, so it doesn't fall between the two of you.

Where to send your copy

Send one copy of the printed book to:

Legal Deposit Office, The British Library, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7BY

The copy should be the same quality as the best copies you are selling in the UK: a finished, printed book, not a proof or a printout. Put a short note in the parcel with your name or imprint and contact details, so the library knows who it came from.

The five other libraries

Five other libraries also have the right to a copy of UK publications: the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, Cambridge University Library, the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of Wales and the Library of Trinity College Dublin. They don't need a copy automatically. If they want your book, the Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries will write and ask you, within 12 months of publication, and you then send the copies it asks for within a month of the request.

What about ebooks?

Books published only as ebooks are covered by separate rules for digital publications, which came in during 2013. Digital works are usually collected by the legal deposit libraries directly or on request, rather than posted. If your book is ebook-only, check the British Library's legal deposit pages for the current way to deposit it.

Why it is worth doing properly

It is the law. It is a legal duty for every UK publisher, however small.
Your book is kept for good. It joins the national collection and can be found by readers and researchers long after it goes out of print.
It is a mark of a properly published book. Being in the national record is part of publishing well, not just getting a book on sale.

A simple checklist

Publish your printed book.
Within one month, post one finished copy to the British Library at Boston Spa.
Keep a note of the date you sent it and the postage receipt.
If the Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries writes to you, send the copies it asks for within a month.

Doing it with SoulScriptz

Legal deposit is one of the steps SoulScriptz talks every author through when their book is published, along with ISBNs, proofs and distribution. Your manuscript stays yours, and we agree in writing who does what before any work begins. See our step-by-step guide to publishing a book in the UK for the whole journey.

Questions authors ask

Do self-published authors have to send a copy to the British Library?

Yes. Legal deposit applies to whoever publishes the book in the UK, including authors who publish independently. One printed copy goes to the British Library within a month of publication.

Do I have to pay to deposit my book?

There is no fee. You give the copy free and pay the postage.

Do I need to send copies to all six legal deposit libraries?

No, only to the British Library automatically. The other five libraries ask for copies through the Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries if they want them.

Does legal deposit protect my copyright?

No. Copyright exists automatically in the UK when you write the work. Legal deposit is about keeping a national record of what is published, not registering ownership.

Ready to publish your book?

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Figures in this guide were checked in October 2026. Platform prices and rules change, so check the current figures before you rely on them. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice.