Terms and Conditions.
The following terms and conditions refer to the copyediting, structural editing and proofreading services and are provided so that both parties both have an upfront and honest understanding of what is involved in the process of working together. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me so that I can provide clarity.
1. General overview
1.1 These terms and conditions apply to any work done on behalf of the Client (you) by me (Elemental Editing).
1.2 I will provide copyediting/structural editing/proofreading services agreed upon (in writing) by myself and the Client.
1.3 The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
1.4 The work will be performed unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment.
1.5 The work will be carried out by me. I will not subcontract copyediting/structural editing/proofreading projects, or parts of projects, to third parties.
1.6 I confirm that I am self-employed, that I am responsible for my own income tax and that I will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees.
1.7 I am not VAT-registered.
1.8 The contract of service requires that the Client acknowledges, in writing (incl. email via the booking confirmation form), that they have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.
2. Project terms
2.1 Before commencing the copyediting/structural editing/proofreading work, the Client and I will agree, in writing (incl. email), the terms of the project:
the medium in which the copyediting/structural editing/proofreading service will be performed (e.g., in Word, on PDF)
how the material will be annotated (e.g., Track Changes in Word)
the time required to complete the project, as advised by me
a fee for the project, based on a quotation supplied by me, in writing (incl. email); the quotation will be offered after I evaluate the material to be copyedited/structurally edited/proofread and the time required to complete the job
any expenses (e.g., postage) that the Client will bear in addition to the costs of copyediting/structural editing/proofreading
the date by which the Client will deliver the material to me
the latest date by which I will return the completed project, following my advice to the Client.
2.2 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 I may decline to perform the work.
3. Quotations and fees
3.1 I will provide a quotation for the work to the Client following my evaluation of a representative sample of the material to be worked on and a discussion with the Client regarding what is required.
3.2 Once the Client and I have agreed on 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.
3.3 The Client will pay me a fee as determined by the word count, level of editing and time needed for the project, as agreed in writing.
3.4 Unless otherwise agreed, I will supply the Client with an invoice immediately upon completion of the copyediting/structural editing/proofreading project.
3.5 Payment should be received within 14 days for full edits.
3.6 Unless otherwise agreed, the quoted fee is for one editing pass of a text. Additional passes are new projects, the terms of which will be agreed upon separately.
4. Booking confirmation form
4.1 The booking confirmation form is an agreement to the contract of services between me and the Client.
5. Booking fee
5.1 When the Client has sent the booking confirmation form at the bottom of this page, I will issue the invoice for the booking fee.
5.2 Booking fees are non-refundable.
5.3 For a project with a total fee in excess of A$500, the Client will pay a booking fee of A$500.
5.4 For a project with a total fee of $500 or less, the Client will pay the full fee upfront. This is non-refundable.
5.5 For thesis students who have received university grants, no booking fee applies. Confirmation of funds must be provided before copyediting/structural editing/proofreading services commence (incl. email). If the full fee is not received by the invoice due date, I will contact the Client to check with their university regarding the payment.
5.6 By filling in the booking confirmation form, the Client agrees to secure my copyediting/structural editing/proofreading services for a specific and mutually agreed-upon project, at a specific and mutually agreed-upon time.
5.7 By filling in the booking confirmation form, the Client confirms that they have read and agreed to the terms and conditions herein. From thereon, the terms of the cancellation policy (see below) apply.
5.8 The booking fee will be deducted from the final invoice issued when the editing work is complete.
5.9 The booking is considered confirmed once the booking fee has been paid by the Client and received by me.
5.10 The booking fee should be paid within 3 working days of sending the booking confirmation form to secure the slot in my schedule.
6. Cancellation policy: Terms, fees and project commencement reminders
TERMS
6.1 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.
6.2 The Client is free to cancel a service for any reason by providing me with written notice (incl. email). I must acknowledge this cancellation in writing (incl. email) for it to be valid.
6.3 I may cancel a service at any time for any reason by providing written notice (incl. 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 (incl. the booking fee).
6.4 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, bereavement), the Client should contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I aim to be fair and helpful at all times.
6.5 If I am touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation (e.g., family crisis, illness, bereavement), 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 copyediting/structural editing/proofreading services. The booking fee will be refunded.
FEES
6.6 Cancellation during the project. If the Client cancels the work during the copyediting/structural editing/proofreading project, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee).
6.7 Cancellation prior to project commencement. If the Client wishes to cancel with less than one week’s notice, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee). If the Client wishes to cancel with more than one week’s notice, the booking fee will not be refunded but no other charge will apply.
PROJECT COMMENCEMENT REMINDERS
6.8 I will contact the Client one week before the mutually agreed-upon start date with a reminder that the file is due 24 hours before said start date.
6.9 If in the unlikely event that the Client does not confirm in writing (incl. email) within one week prior to the mutually agreed-upon start date that they will be supplying the file for editing, the project is deemed to have been cancelled by the Client and the slot in my schedule will be released.
6.10 If, as is likely, the Client confirms the project, I will ask for the file to be sent to me 24 hours before the start date.
7. Confidentiality
7.1 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.
7.2 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. However, I do use Dropbox as a cloud storage system. See my Privacy Policy for how your data is protected.
7.3 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.
8. Copyright
8.1 All content delivered to me by the Client for the copyediting/structural editing/proofreading project is owned by the Client.
8.2 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.
8.3 Following payment of my invoice, any content created by me as part of the copyediting/structural editing/proofreading process will become the copyright of the Client unless otherwise agreed.
9. Legal jurisdiction
9.1 This agreement is subject to the laws of Australia, and both the Client and I agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the Australian courts.
9.2 The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of this Agreement shall be Melbourne, Australia.
10. Privacy policy and the GDPR
10.1 Please read my Privacy Policy, which explains the data I collect, how I use and store it, and my compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
11. Acknowledgements in published works
11.1 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.