Terms & Conditions
General
Project and payment terms
Copyright
Confidentiality
Cancellation policy
Quality assurance
Limitations
Acknowledgements in published works
Jurisdiction
These terms & conditions were last updated on 24th March 2023.
- These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client (you) by me (Karen Atkinson of Karen Atkinson Editorial).
- The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
- I will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.
- The work will be carried out exclusively by me. I will not subcontract editing projects, or parts of projects, to third parties.
The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment. - 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 acknowledges, in writing, that they have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.
Project and payment terms
- The Client and I will agree, in writing, to the terms of the project prior to its commencement. This agreement will cover:
- the software in which the editing will be carried out (usually in MS Word).
- how the work will be annotated (usually Tracked Changes in MS Word).
- the length of time required to complete the project.
- a fee for the project, based on my prior assessment of the work and subsequent written quotation.
- the terms of payment: either a fee per hour OR per thousand words OR an agreed flat fee for the job, with payments either in advance, on completion, or periodically, as agreed.
- any expenses 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 date by which the completed project will be returned to the Client.
- The Client will send the entire project manuscript to me prior to the commencement of the editing, either as a single document or as an agreed number of documents where the project is large. The Client cannot make further changes to the manuscript once it has been sent.
- If on receipt of the item to be worked on or at an early stage, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the initial discussions, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the completion date.
- Similarly, if, during the term of the work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, the I may renegotiate the fee and/or the completion date.
- Unless otherwise agreed, the fee quoted for my editorial services is for one full pass of a manuscript. Additional passes are new projects, the terms of which will be agreed separately.
- The Client will pay me as per the terms of the agreement, including making any agreed advance payments before the date at which we have agreed the work will commence.
- Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, I reserve the right to charge interest and compensation should a delay to payment exceed 30 days.
- The completed work will be delivered to the Client by me on or before the date agreed.
Copyright
- All content delivered to me by the Client for the editing project is owned by the Client.
- 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.
- 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, or arising out of any defamation claimed against them.
Confidentiality
- I will keep the nature and content of the work confidential and will not make it known to or share it with anyone other than the Client without prior written permission, unless there is a legal requirement to do so.
- I will not 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. (Please note the exception to this: I do use sync.com as my secure cloud-based storage system and Gmail/names.co.uk for email, including file attachments. Please refer to my privacy policy in this regard.)
- 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.
- I may use the Client’s name and the titles of their work/cover artwork in my promotional material, but only with express permission from the Client.
Cancellation policy
- 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.
- This Client is free to cancel a contracted service for any reason by providing me with written notice (including email). This cancellation is valid when I acknowledge it in writing (including email). The Client will remain obligated to pay a fee proportionate to the amount of work already completed (if any).
- I am free to cancel a contracted 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.
- If the Client experiences extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay, they should contact me in writing to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I always aim to be fair and understanding.
- Similarly, if I experience 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 agreed time frame or find an alternative supplier.
Quality assurance
- I am an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and adhere to the Institute’s Code of Practice.
- I work as an editor because I genuinely love helping people to express their ideas as clearly and beautifully as possible. I take my job seriously, always give my best, and engage in extensive professional development activities.
Limitations
- Both writing and editing – especially of creative works – involve a great deal of subjectivity; opinions will differ on almost every aspect.
- No editor can guarantee perfection; it is impossible for one round of edits (or even several rounds of edits) to pick up every error, and this is widely recognised in the publishing industry. The number of errors remaining in a text after I have conducted a single-pass edit will be greatly influenced by the amount of redrafting and editing that has gone before I started work, and the Client accepts this as part of accepting my contract of service. Please see the CIEP’s answer to the question: Will a copyeditor make my text perfect?
- I make no guarantees as to the saleability or marketability of the finished manuscript and will not be held accountable if the published book is not successful. I accept no responsibility for any negative feedback relating to any of the content of the manuscript.
- I accept no responsibility for factual inaccuracies remaining in a manuscript and the consequences of such inaccuracies.
Acknowledgements in published works
- There is no requirement for the Client to mention me in a published work’s acknowledgements section.
- If the Client wishes to include my name in the acknowledgements section of a published work or elsewhere, they agree that I will have the opportunity to review any such mention prior to publication, or to decline to be mentioned.
Jurisdiction
- This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales, and I and the Client both agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
- The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of this agreement shall be Cumbria, England.
These terms & conditions were last updated on 24th March 2023.