Terms and conditions

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 fee 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 9 September 2024.

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 fee, or full 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 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.

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. The Client agrees to pay to cover any work already completed.

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 personal information 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.
• 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.
• If a phone call or text-chat 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 this within this time frame, the service will be considered closed out.
• Phone calls included with services will be audio-only.
• Where a developmental service includes a review of revised material, these should be sent to the Editor within 2 months (8 weeks) of the Editor completing the work. For reviews of tracked changes after a copy/line edit, the Editor will review these materials within a time frame pertinent to her schedule when the Client is ready, and will confirm this with the Client in writing.

Fees and deposits

• The Client will pay the Editor the agreed fee, as discussed in writing.
• A 25% booking fee will be required for full manuscripts. Booking fees are non-refundable.
• The booking fee will be taken off the Client’s final invoice. The remainder of the fee is payable when the work is complete.
• Booking fees 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 shorter services are payable upfront. These payments are non-refundable.
• The project will not begin until the Client has paid the booking fee 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 booking fee was paid). This should be paid within three days of receipt. The Editor will only release files for full manuscript projects 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 rescheduling, no new booking fee will be required. The Editor will accommodate a request to reschedule depending on her availability, but cannot guarantee an immediate slot.
• If four weeks’ notice is given for cancellations, the project will be cancelled and the spot in the Editor’s schedule released. A new booking fee 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 booking 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 booking fee.
• 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 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 booking fee will be required for any future bookings.

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.