Contract of proofreading/editing services

The terms and conditions below are to provide you and I with a transparent understanding of the process of working together. Please feel free to contact me if you have any concerns so that I can provide reassurance.

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1. General overview

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1.1  These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client (you) by me (John Romans of Romans Editorial Services).

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

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1.3  I will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.

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

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1.5  The work will be carried out by me. I will not subcontract proofreading/editing projects, or parts of projects, to third parties.

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1.6  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.

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1.7  I am not VAT-registered.

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2 Project terms

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2.1.  Prior to the commencement of work I will agree with the Client the date by which the work will be delivered to me, the medium in which the work will be carried out (e.g. Word, on paper), how the work will be annotated (e.g. Track Changes, BSI symbols), an agreed fee for the project and the latest date by which the completed work will be delivered to the Client.

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2.2 My quotation for the project will be based on my evaluation of a representative sample of the materials to be worked on.

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2.3  The Client will pay me a fee per hour OR per printed page OR an agreed flat fee for the job.

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2.4  The Client will also pay me any agreed expenses in relation to the project.

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2.5  The completed work will be delivered on or before the date agreed, for the agreed fee, which will be based on the description of the work required and the brief, both supplied by the Client.

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2.6  If, however, 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 preliminary discussion/brief, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

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2.7  Similarly, if, during the term of the work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

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2.8 The project is complete when I return the work to the Client. Should the Client wish me to work on a revised version of the work, this will constitute a new project and a new fee will have to be agreed.

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3 Booking-confirmation form

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3.1  I will supply the Client with a booking-confirmation form which sets out the terms of the project. The booking-confirmation form is an agreement to the contract of services between the Client and me. 

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4 Payments

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4.1 When the Client has returned the signed booking form I will issue an invoice for the deposit.

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4.2  A deposit of 50 per cent is required for all projects. The payment of the booking fee secures the Client a slot in my schedule. 

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4.3 All deposits are non-refundable.

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4.4  If the project is lengthy, I may invoice periodically for completed stages.

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4.5 I will send an invoice for the outstanding payment as soon as I have sent the completed files to the Client.

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4.6 The payment should be made within 21 days of the Client receiving the invoice.

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4.7  ​Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (amended 2002 and 2013), I may charge interest and compensation should payment exceed 30 days.

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4.8  The payment is not conditional on the work being accepted for publication by any third party. 

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5 Cancellation policy

 

5.1  The Client may cancel the service at any time by providing written notice (including email). I must acknowledge the cancellation in writing (including email) for it to be valid. I am entitled to invoice for the proportion of the work completed if this is larger than the deposit. 

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5.2  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 etc.), the Client should contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I aim to be fair and helpful at all times.

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5.3  If I am touched 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.

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5.4  Any content created by me as part of the copy-editing, proofreading or copy-writing process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed.

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6 Confidentiality

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6.1.  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.

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6.2  I will not, under any circumstances, upload the Client’s files to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorized to do so, in writing, by the Client.

6.3 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.​

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7 Copyright

7.1 All content delivered to me by the Client for the proofreading/editing project is owned by the Client.

7.2 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.

7.3 Following payment of my invoice, any content created by me as part of the proofreading/editing process will become the copyright of the Client unless otherwise agreed.

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8 Promotional material

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8.1  I may use the Client's name in my promotional material.

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9 Legal jurisdiction

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9.1  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.

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9.2  The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of the agreement shall be Manchester, England.

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