Refresh Editorial Terms and Conditions
Contract of proofreading/editing services
The following terms and conditions are provided so that you and I both have an upfront and honest understanding of what is involved in the process of working together. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me so that I can provide clarity and reassurance.
1. General overview
1.1 These terms and conditions apply to any work done on behalf of the Client (you) by me (Kathryn Kendall Boucher of Refresh Editorial).
1.2 I will provide editing services agreed upon (in writing, including email) by myself and the Client.
1.3 The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
1.4 The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment.
1.5 The work will be carried out by me. I will not subcontract editing projects, or parts of projects, to third parties.
1.6 I confirm that I am self-employed, am responsible for my own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and will not claim benefits granted to the Client's employees.
1.7 I am not VAT-registered.
1.8 The contract of service requires that the Client acknowledges, in writing (including email), that they have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.
2. Project terms
2.1 Prior to commencement of the editing work, the Client and I will agree, in writing (including email), the terms of the project:
3. Quotations and fees
3.1 A quotation for the work will be provided by me to the Client following my evaluation of a representative sample of the materials to be worked on, and a discussion with the Client as to what is required.
3.2 Once the Client and I have agreed the full fee, it is non-negotiable unless the Client extends the word count of the job or requests additional services. In this case, a revised quotation and job-completion date will be negotiated.
3.3 The Client will pay me a fee per 1,000 words OR per hour OR an agreed flat fee for the project, as agreed in writing.
3.4 Unless otherwise agreed, I will supply the Client with an invoice immediately upon completion of the editing project.
3.5 Payment should be received within 14 days for editorial work, and within 3 days for booking fees.
3.6 Unless otherwise agreed, the fee quoted is for one pass of a manuscript. (However, I will check responses to queries left in the manuscript as part of the editing process.) Additional passes are new projects, the terms of which will be agreed separately.
3.7 Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, I reserve the right to charge interest and compensation should payment exceed 30 days.
4. Booking fee
4.1 When the Client has agreed to the scope of work, I will issue the invoice for the booking fee.
4.2 Booking fees are non-refundable.
4.3 The Client will pay a booking fee of 50% of the full fee.
4.4 By paying the booking fee, the Client agrees to secure my editing services for a specific and mutually agreed-upon project, at a specific and mutually agreed time.
4.5 By paying the booking fee, the Client confirms that they have read and agreed to the terms and conditions herein. From thereon, the terms of the cancellation policy (see below) apply.
4.6 The booking fee will be deducted from the final invoice issued when the editing work is complete.
4.7 The booking is considered confirmed once the booking fee has been paid by the Client and received by me.
4.8 The booking fee should be paid within 3 days of receipt of the invoice to secure the slot in my schedule.
5. Cancellation policy: Terms and fees
TERMS:
5.1 Both the Client and I have the right to terminate a contract for services at any time if there is a serious breach of its terms.
5.2 This Client is free to cancel a service for any reason by providing me with written notice (including email); I must acknowledge this cancellation in writing (including email) for this to be valid.
5.3 I may cancel a service at any time for any reason by providing written notice (including email) to the Client. In the unlikely event that I cancel a service, I will provide a prorated refund of any overages of fees paid (including the booking fee).
5.4 If, in the unlikely event that the Client is touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), the Client should contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I aim to be fair and helpful at all times.
5.5 If I am touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), I will contact the Client in writing at the earliest opportunity and do my best to renegotiate the time frame of the project or find an alternative supplier of editing services. The booking fee will be refunded.
FEES:
5.6 CANCELLATION DURING THE PROJECT: If the Client cancels the work during the editing project, I reserve the right to invoice for work already completed (less the booking fee).
5.7 CANCELLATION PRIOR TO PROJECT COMMENCEMENT:
6. Confidentiality
6.1 The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and its contractors without prior written permission.
6.2 I will not, under any circumstances, upload the Client’s files to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorized to do so, in writing, by the Client.
6.3 Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, the Client and I may keep on record such information (e.g. contact details) as is necessary. Either may view the other's records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.
7. Copyright
7.1 All content delivered to me by the Client for the proofreading/editing project is owned by the Client.
7.2 In this respect, the Client agrees to hold me harmless from and against all claims, liabilities and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against them.
7.3 Following payment of my invoice, any content created by me as part of the editing process will become the copyright of the Client unless otherwise agreed.
8. Quality assurance
8.1 I aim for the highest editorial standards, and feedback supplied to the Client is based on my professional experience, objective external principles and resources of authority, such as established literary theory and style guide manuals. However, there will always been some degree of subjectivity to any creative project, and the writing/editing process is ultimately one of collaboration where the Client has the final say in the decisions made about the work.
8.2 Please be aware that I cannot guarantee the Client will secure agent representation or publication, nor can I guarantee sales of the published work.
8.3 I am unable to guarantee perfection; it would be unethical to do so, as editorial perfection is impossible to obtain.
9. Legal jurisdiction
9.1 This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both the Client and I agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
9.2 The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of this Agreement shall be Oxfordshire, England.
10. Privacy policy and the GDPR
10.1 Please read my Privacy Policy, which explains the data I collect, how I use it and store it, and my compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
11. Acknowledgements in published works
11.1 There is no requirement for the Client to mention me in the published work's acknowledgements section. However, the Client agrees that I will have the opportunity to review any such mention prior to publication, or to decline to be mentioned.
Contract of proofreading/editing services
The following terms and conditions are provided so that you and I both have an upfront and honest understanding of what is involved in the process of working together. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me so that I can provide clarity and reassurance.
1. General overview
1.1 These terms and conditions apply to any work done on behalf of the Client (you) by me (Kathryn Kendall Boucher of Refresh Editorial).
1.2 I will provide editing services agreed upon (in writing, including email) by myself and the Client.
1.3 The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
1.4 The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment.
1.5 The work will be carried out by me. I will not subcontract editing projects, or parts of projects, to third parties.
1.6 I confirm that I am self-employed, am responsible for my own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and will not claim benefits granted to the Client's employees.
1.7 I am not VAT-registered.
1.8 The contract of service requires that the Client acknowledges, in writing (including email), that they have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.
2. Project terms
2.1 Prior to commencement of the editing work, the Client and I will agree, in writing (including email), the terms of the project:
- the medium in which the editing service will be carried out (e.g. in Word, on PDF, on paper)
- how the material will be annotated (e.g. Track Changes in Word, comments on a PDF)
- the length of time required to complete the project, as advised by me
- a fee for the project
- any expenses (e.g. postage) that the Client will bear in addition to the costs of the editing
- the date by which the material will be delivered by the Client to me
- the latest date by which the completed project will be returned, following my advice to the Client.
3. Quotations and fees
3.1 A quotation for the work will be provided by me to the Client following my evaluation of a representative sample of the materials to be worked on, and a discussion with the Client as to what is required.
3.2 Once the Client and I have agreed the full fee, it is non-negotiable unless the Client extends the word count of the job or requests additional services. In this case, a revised quotation and job-completion date will be negotiated.
3.3 The Client will pay me a fee per 1,000 words OR per hour OR an agreed flat fee for the project, as agreed in writing.
3.4 Unless otherwise agreed, I will supply the Client with an invoice immediately upon completion of the editing project.
3.5 Payment should be received within 14 days for editorial work, and within 3 days for booking fees.
3.6 Unless otherwise agreed, the fee quoted is for one pass of a manuscript. (However, I will check responses to queries left in the manuscript as part of the editing process.) Additional passes are new projects, the terms of which will be agreed separately.
3.7 Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, I reserve the right to charge interest and compensation should payment exceed 30 days.
4. Booking fee
4.1 When the Client has agreed to the scope of work, I will issue the invoice for the booking fee.
4.2 Booking fees are non-refundable.
4.3 The Client will pay a booking fee of 50% of the full fee.
4.4 By paying the booking fee, the Client agrees to secure my editing services for a specific and mutually agreed-upon project, at a specific and mutually agreed time.
4.5 By paying the booking fee, the Client confirms that they have read and agreed to the terms and conditions herein. From thereon, the terms of the cancellation policy (see below) apply.
4.6 The booking fee will be deducted from the final invoice issued when the editing work is complete.
4.7 The booking is considered confirmed once the booking fee has been paid by the Client and received by me.
4.8 The booking fee should be paid within 3 days of receipt of the invoice to secure the slot in my schedule.
5. Cancellation policy: Terms and fees
TERMS:
5.1 Both the Client and I have the right to terminate a contract for services at any time if there is a serious breach of its terms.
5.2 This Client is free to cancel a service for any reason by providing me with written notice (including email); I must acknowledge this cancellation in writing (including email) for this to be valid.
5.3 I may cancel a service at any time for any reason by providing written notice (including email) to the Client. In the unlikely event that I cancel a service, I will provide a prorated refund of any overages of fees paid (including the booking fee).
5.4 If, in the unlikely event that the Client is touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), the Client should contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I aim to be fair and helpful at all times.
5.5 If I am touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), I will contact the Client in writing at the earliest opportunity and do my best to renegotiate the time frame of the project or find an alternative supplier of editing services. The booking fee will be refunded.
FEES:
5.6 CANCELLATION DURING THE PROJECT: If the Client cancels the work during the editing project, I reserve the right to invoice for work already completed (less the booking fee).
5.7 CANCELLATION PRIOR TO PROJECT COMMENCEMENT:
- If the Client wishes to cancel with less than one month's notice, I reserve the right to invoice for 50% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee).
- If the Client wishes to cancel with more than one month's notice, the booking fee will not be refunded but no other charge will apply.
6. Confidentiality
6.1 The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and its contractors without prior written permission.
6.2 I will not, under any circumstances, upload the Client’s files to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorized to do so, in writing, by the Client.
6.3 Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, the Client and I may keep on record such information (e.g. contact details) as is necessary. Either may view the other's records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.
7. Copyright
7.1 All content delivered to me by the Client for the proofreading/editing project is owned by the Client.
7.2 In this respect, the Client agrees to hold me harmless from and against all claims, liabilities and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against them.
7.3 Following payment of my invoice, any content created by me as part of the editing process will become the copyright of the Client unless otherwise agreed.
8. Quality assurance
8.1 I aim for the highest editorial standards, and feedback supplied to the Client is based on my professional experience, objective external principles and resources of authority, such as established literary theory and style guide manuals. However, there will always been some degree of subjectivity to any creative project, and the writing/editing process is ultimately one of collaboration where the Client has the final say in the decisions made about the work.
8.2 Please be aware that I cannot guarantee the Client will secure agent representation or publication, nor can I guarantee sales of the published work.
8.3 I am unable to guarantee perfection; it would be unethical to do so, as editorial perfection is impossible to obtain.
9. Legal jurisdiction
9.1 This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both the Client and I agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
9.2 The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of this Agreement shall be Oxfordshire, England.
10. Privacy policy and the GDPR
10.1 Please read my Privacy Policy, which explains the data I collect, how I use it and store it, and my compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
11. Acknowledgements in published works
11.1 There is no requirement for the Client to mention me in the published work's acknowledgements section. However, the Client agrees that I will have the opportunity to review any such mention prior to publication, or to decline to be mentioned.