Terms and conditions | blake-editing

Contract for editing/proofreading 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.

General overview

These terms and conditions apply to any work done on behalf of the Client (you) by me (Deborah Blake of Blake Editing Services).
I will provide editorial services agreed upon (in writing) by myself and the Client.
The Client must send the project manuscript in its entirety, as a single document. The Client cannot make further changes to the manuscript once it has been sent.
The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment.
The work will be carried out by me. I will not subcontract editorial projects, or parts of projects, to third parties.
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.
I am not VAT-registered.
The contract of service requires that the Client and I both acknowledge, in writing, that we have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.

Project terms

Prior to commencement of the editing work, the Client and I will agree, in writing, to the terms of the project:

the medium in which the service will be carried out (e.g. in Word, on paper)
how the material will be annotated (e.g. Track Changes in Word, BSI correction symbols on paper)
the length of time required to complete the project, as advised by me
a fee for the project, based on a quotation supplied by me, in writing, following my evaluation of the material to be edited and the time frame required to complete the job
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

Please note that if, on receipt of the project to be worked on (or at an early stage), it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief or from the sample supplied I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline, or decline to carry out the work.

Fees

A quotation for fees is supplied after an evaluation of the materials and a discussion with the Client as to what is required.

The Client will pay me a fee per hour OR per 1,000 words, OR an agreed flat fee for the job, according to prior agreement.
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.
Unless otherwise agreed, I will supply the Client with an invoice immediately upon return of the completed project.
Payment should be received within a specified time, agreed in advance, from submission of the invoice.
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.

Deposit/retainer

I will only ask for a deposit or retainer if the work is scheduled to be booked in more than four weeks in advance. This is non-refundable unless the project is cancelled by me. However, once I have received written (including by email) confirmation that the Client wishes to secure my editing services for a specific and mutually agreed-upon project, at a specific and mutually agreed time, and has read and agreed to the terms and conditions herein, the terms of the cancellation policy (see below) apply.

Cancellation policy

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.

The Client will remain obligated to pay a fee proportionate to the amount of work already completed (if any) if this amount is larger than the deposit paid.
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 pro rata refund of any overages of fees paid (including the deposit).
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 etc.), the Client should contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I aim to be fair and helpful at all times.
If I am touched by similar extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay, 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.

Confidentiality

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.

I will not, under any circumstances, upload the Client’s files to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorised to do so, in writing, by the Client. I do, however, sometimes use Dropbox as a cloud storage system. See my Privacy Policy for how your data is protected.
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.

All content delivered to me by the Client for the editing project is owned by the Client.
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.
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.

Legal jurisdiction

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.

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).