General

The contract of service requires that the Client acknowledges, in writing, that they have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.

• These terms and conditions apply to any work on behalf of the Client (you) by me (Alexandra Dawning of Dawning Edits).

• I will provide editorial services as mutually agreed upon (in writing) by myself and the Client. The details of the services provided are as described on the editorial services pages of my website.

• The work will be carried out at such times and in such places as determined by me, using my own equipment.

• The Client will send the complete project manuscript in a single document, unless otherwise agreed upon (e.g. for the ‘Drop-in Consultancy’ service, in which case, the content to be sent will be agreed upon in writing by myself and the Client). Once the project manuscript has been sent, the Client cannot make further changes to the document.

• The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.

• 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.

Project

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

• The medium in which the service will be carried out (e.g. in Microsoft Word).

• How the material will be annotated (e.g. tracked changes in Microsoft Word).

• 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 to me by the Client.

• The latest date by which the completed project will be returned, following my advice to the Client.

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.

• If, on receipt of the item to be worked on or during the editorial process, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief, I may renegotiate the fee, service and/or deadline, or decline to carry out the work.

• Similarly, if, during the term of the work, the Client requests additional tasks to be completed, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline, or decline to carry out the work.

• Unless otherwise agreed, I will supply the Client with an invoice immediately upon return of the completed project.

• Unless otherwise agreed at the outset, payment should be made within 21 days of receipt of invoice.

• Unless otherwise agreed, the fee quoted for my editorial services is for one full pass of a manuscript. This means I will go through the manuscript from start to finish only once. (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.

• In rare circumstances, I may be able to accommodate ‘rush jobs’. Since this will require me to work overtime and rearrange my schedule, I charge an additional fee for rush jobs.

• 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.

Deposits

• If the total project fee is less than £500, I require full payment up front.

• If the total project fee is more than £500, I require a deposit of 50% from new clients.

• At my discretion, I may ask for a 25% deposit (instead of a 50% deposit) from repeat clients.

• Deposit payments are due upon receipt of the deposit invoice.

• If a deposit is required, the agreed project schedule will not be fixed until the deposit amount is received.

• All deposits are non-refundable.

Cancellation policy

• The 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 prorated refund of any overages of fees paid (including the deposit, excluding banking and admin fees).

• If in the unlikely event that the Client is affected 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.

• If I am affected 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 Client’s files will be kept confidential and will not be shared with anyone (other than the Client’s contractors, if necessary, with 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.

• 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.

Copyright

• 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.

• The copyright of any content created by me as part of the developmental analysis or manuscript critiquing process will remain mine. The Client may not share the content of these reports without prior written permission from Alexandra Dawning.

Quality Assurance and Limitations

• I am a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, and as such my skills and experience has been vetted, and I adhere to their Code of Practice.

• I base my edits and suggestions on objective external principles and resources of authority, such as established literary theory and style guide manuals, and always aim for objectivity in my editorial feedback. However, there is a degree of subjectivity inherent 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.

• Unless a co-writing/co-authorship arrangement is made in writing, all royalties and monies gained by the sale of the book will be the sole property of the Client.

• While I aim for the highest editorial standards, please be aware that I cannot guarantee the Client will secure agent representation or publication, nor can I guarantee sales of the published work.

Acknowledgements in Published Works

• 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.

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.

• The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of this Agreement shall be Leicestershire, England.

Updated: 30th May 2021