Terms and conditions | Rachel Rowlands, Editor & Author

These terms and conditions cover working with me in an editorial capacity, and detail everything you need to know about the process. Note that paying a booking deposit will also serve as confirmation that you have read, understood, and agreed to these terms. If you have questions, please contact me and I’d be happy to clarify.

Last updated January 2026.

General overview

These terms and conditions apply to work done for the Client (you) by the Editor (Rachel Rowlands).
The Client is under no obligation to offer the Editor work; neither is the Editor under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
The Editor will provide service(s) as agreed upon and confirmed in writing.
The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by the Editor, using her own equipment.
The Client is responsible for keeping up to date with these terms and conditions after becoming a Client, and for reviewing them again when booking in new projects with the Editor.
The Editor confirms she is self-employed, responsible for her own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees.
The Editor confirms she is not VAT registered.
The Client confirms they are over the age of eighteen.
Payment of a booking deposit, or upfront payment for a service, will serve as confirmation that the Client has read, understood, and agreed to these terms and conditions.

Content policy

If the Client’s work contains explicit and disturbing content (such as sexual abuse involving children or animals, incest, animal cruelty, etc), the Client agrees to disclose this prior to paying their booking fee so the Editor can determine whether or not to accept the project. Should the Client fail to disclose this content, work on the project may be paused or ceased and the business relationship terminated. The Client agrees to pay to cover any work already completed.

AI (artificial intelligence) policy

The Client will declare if any aspect of the written work was AI-generated. The Editor will not provide editorial services for books or manuscripts where the content was generated or written – in part, or in full – by artificial intelligence systems. If, at any point, the Editor discovers that a work is AI-generated and the Client failed to disclose this, the service will cease immediately and the business relationship will be terminated. The Client agrees to pay to cover any work already completed.

The Client will not feed the Editor’s content, including notes, editorial reports, comments, and resources provided as part of an editorial service into any AI or language learning model.

Editorial process

During the term of the Editor’s work, if additional tasks are requested by the Client, or if the word count changes, the Editor may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline or bill for a separate job.
Should the Client wish to credit the Editor within the work, the Client will seek permission from the Editor prior to publishing her name and/or website in acknowledgement sections.
The Editor may use the Client’s book in her portfolio, unless requested not to do so.
Any files relevant to the project are due at least 24 hours before the project start date. If files are not received on time, the Editor reserves the right to postpone or cancel the project.
The Editor adheres to the Code of Practice of the editorial associations she belongs to, and strives to provide high-quality services in line with industry standards. However, a small number of residual errors may remain after a line edit, copyedit, or proofread. The Editor does not promise or guarantee perfection. The Client acknowledges that, despite the best efforts of all parties, the final work may contain residual errors.
Where a service includes a review of additional material, such as a revision plan or rewritten query letter, these should be sent to the Editor within 2 months (8 weeks) of the Editor completing the work. If these are not provided within this time frame, the service will be considered closed out.
After a copyedit, the Editor will review the Client’s changes to the manuscript within a time frame pertinent to her schedule. The Editor will confirm this with the Client in writing.

Fees and bookings

The Client will pay the Editor the agreed fee, as discussed in writing.
A 25% booking deposit will be required for full manuscripts. Deposits are non-refundable.
The deposit will be taken off the Client’s final invoice. The remainder of the fee is payable when the work is complete.
Deposits are due within three days of the Client receiving the invoice. The Editor cannot guarantee the spot in her schedule until the Client pays the booking fee.
Fees for partial manuscripts and smaller bespoke services are payable upfront. These payments are non-refundable.
The project will not begin until the Client has paid the booking deposit or made payment in full (depending on the service).
If on receipt of the work, or at an early stage, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required, the Editor may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline or decline the work.
For lengthy or more complex projects (such as series work or bespoke services), the Editor may invoice the Client periodically. Payment plans will be confirmed and agreed upon in writing.
The Client’s final invoice will be sent upon job completion (where a deposit was paid). This should be paid within three days of receipt. The Editor will only release files when final payment is made.
Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, the Editor reserves the right to charge interest and compensation if payments exceed the date specified on the invoice.

Cancellations and rescheduling

The Client is free to cancel or reschedule at any time by providing four weeks’ written notice via email. The Editor must acknowledge this for it to be valid.
If four weeks’ notice is given for cancellations, the service will be cancelled and the spot in the Editor’s schedule released. Any deposit paid is non-refundable. A new deposit will be required for any future bookings.
Should the Client provide the Editor with less than four weeks’ notice of cancellation, the Editor reserves the right to charge 100% of the remaining fee, not including the deposit.
Should the Client provide the Editor with less than four weeks’ notice of rescheduling, the Editor reserves the right to charge a rescheduling fee equal to 25% of the total fee.
Should the Client cancel while the job is in progress, the Editor reserves the right to charge 100% of the fee, not including the deposit.
Either the Client or the Editor has the right to terminate a contract if there is a serious breach of its terms.
The Editor is free to cancel or postpone at any time in the unlikely event of difficult or severe circumstances such as illness or bereavement. The Editor will contact the Client to renegotiate the time frame, or to find the Client an alternative editor.
If the Editor needs to cancel, or if any proposed changes to the time frame are not suitable for the Client, the Client’s deposit may be applied towards another service with the Editor. This credit must be used within twelve months of the original booking.
If the Client fails to deliver files on time (at least 24 hours before the start date), the project will be cancelled and the spot in the Editor’s schedule will be released. A new deposit will be required for any future bookings.

Client communication

The Client agrees to respond to emails from the Editor within a timely manner throughout the duration of the service.
After booking a service, if the Client becomes unresponsive for more than 10 days without notice (including before the agreed start date), the Editor may pause the project until communication resumes and will reschedule it in line with her availability. The original delivery date will no longer be guaranteed.
If the period of unresponsiveness continues beyond this point, the Editor may cancel the project. The Client will be invoiced for any work completed in excess of the deposit amount. Any future bookings will require a new deposit.
If a consultation is included with a service, this must be carried out within 2 months (8 weeks) of the files being returned to the Client. Should the Client fail to arrange the consultation within this time frame, the service will be considered closed out.
Teams consultations will be audio-only.
Text-chat consultations will be done via Google Chat.
Clients are not guaranteed a Teams call unless previously agreed in writing. Consultations may be conducted via text-chat to allow the Editor flexibility in scheduling and to accommodate different time zones.

Copyright and confidentiality

All content delivered to the Editor will remain the property of the Client. The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client without written permission.
The Client agrees not to publicly release edits, editorial notes, comments, or critiques, including on social media, or to other parties, without written permission.
The Client is responsible for their own work and the Editor cannot be held accountable for its success, any legal or copyright issues, or negative feedback and reviews.
The Editor declares that she is also an author, and engaged in creative pursuits outside of providing editorial services. The Client acknowledges that any similarities in style, themes, or ideas between their work and any of the Editor’s existing or future works are purely coincidental, and agrees not to pursue legal action for such resemblances.

Data protection

The information that the Client and the Editor may keep on record is covered by the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). No more such information will be held than is necessary, at any time, to comply with those terms and with any compliance statement or privacy policy published by the Client and/or the Editor. Both the Client and the Editor agree that, where consent is required to hold or process such data, such consent has been requested and obtained and both facts can be demonstrated. Either may view the other’s records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.
In case of emergencies, such as the Editor becoming severely ill, and where the Editor is unable to contact the Client, the Client’s name and email address may be passed on to a trusted individual to notify the Client of any delays, disruptions to the service, or cancellations. The Client agrees they are happy for this information to be passed on in the case of an emergency or any severe circumstances impacting the work.

Legal jurisdiction

This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales. Both Editor and Client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.