Editing Terms
The Parties agree as follows:
Statement of Work
Project Description
Editing the manuscript in preparation for submitting to a publisher, or for The Client to self-publish. The manuscript is currently in Microsoft Word Document format, and will be returned in the same format.
Type of Editing and Work Plan
Editing will include elements of Structural, Stylistic and Copy Editing. The Editor will:
- Organisation & Content:
- Provide suggestions and advice on the structure and sequence of the Client’s work, to help achieve a narrative or expository flow and shape appropriate to the audience.
- Identify and recommend appropriate additions, and deletions, and help to resolve any issues of accuracy.
- Clarity
- Improve paragraph and sentence structure and word choice to more accurately convey meaning while maintaining the authorial voice.
- Resolve ambiguities and clarify meaning or intention.
- Correctness
- Will make corrections to the grammar, spelling and word usage.
- Query any general information which should be checked for accuracy.
- Flag elements that may require copyright acknowledgement and permission to reproduce.
- Consistency
- Identify and consistently apply editorial style (e.g. abbreviations, treatment of numbers etc.).
- Provide advice on mood, style, and authorial voice to maintain consistency.
The Editor agrees to clearly mark and convey changes, suggestions, and directions through the “Comments” and “Track Changes” functionality in Microsoft Word. The Editor agrees to keep copies of successive versions in order to ensure that, to the extent possible, changes are made correctly and that the material approved to date is not changed unintentionally.
The project does include multiple drafts. The work plan is to provide up to three revisions of the manuscript:
- One initial redraft to tackle spelling, grammar and stylistic feedback as well as commentary on areas that could be expanded upon or reduced.
- After feedback from the Client, a second draft will be provided to take into account changes made based on the feedback provided.
- A third draft will be provided if necessary to take into account an additional round of feedback, potentially from external sources.
If after this stage additional changes are made, a further Statement of Work should be provided by The Editor to The Client. The Editor will deliver the completed product to the Client by Microsoft Word Document on or before an agreed date. The work plan requires that both the Client and the Editor meet the agreed milestones. Adjustments to the work plan may be required if the agreed milestones are not met.
Place of Work and Meetings
Wherever possible, meetings will take place by phone or Zoom. After each round of feedback and redrafting it is recommended that The Editor and The Client schedule a meeting to discuss any queries or further amendments.
Changes and Additions
Any additions or changes to the project will modify the Statement of Work, may change the due date, and may be billed as additional work. Changes made to material that has already been submitted to the Editor for editing may be considered additional work.
The Editor will keep the Client informed of additional work that is required or recommended and request the Client’s approval for any additional work, associated expenses, and changes in the project deadline. The Client and Editor agree that requests for additional work and renegotiated deadlines or fees will be in writing.
Fees
The Editor’s fees for the project are as described in the Statement of Work. The Client will pay the Editor a 25% deposit to begin the work. The Editor will invoice the balance of 75% when the project is complete. All work, including edits, drafts and any research, is the exclusive property of the Editor until the Client’s account is paid in full. Once the Client pays all fees due under this Agreement, any copyright the Editor may have in the product developed under this Agreement will transfer to the Client.
Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure
The Client will provide all information that has a direct bearing on the successful outcome of the project and will inform the Editor in writing of any portion of the work or related information that is confidential. The Editor will hold in confidence and not disclose the confidential information to any third party, except with the Client’s written consent or as required by law with prior notice to the Client.
The Editor will take all reasonable steps to safeguard and prevent the loss, destruction, or unauthorised access, use, or disclosure of the confidential information using a reasonable degree of care and no less than the same degree of care used to protect the Editor’s own confidential information. The Editor will promptly return to the Client or destroy, as directed by the Client, confidential information and any other Client property requested by the Client at any time.
The Editor will not make any unauthorised use of any of the Client’s trade secrets, confidential information, proprietary property, trademarks, or copyrighted materials.
Use of Copyrighted Work
The Editor will endeavour to flag elements of a work that may require copyright permissions. However, unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, the Client accepts responsibility for complying with copyright laws and obtaining the necessary permission to use any elements of provided text, graphics, photos, music and song lyrics, designs, trademarks, or other created work to be included in the final product.
Warranties
Editing is a process of offering advice and suggestions to the Client. While the Editor will make every effort to identify and bring questionable material to the Client’s attention, it is not possible to guarantee error-free content. The Editor’s responsibility is limited to notifying the Client of any suspected or unresolved issues within the edited work. The Client is responsible for accepting (or rejecting) the Editor’s suggestions and resolving any issues identified by the Editor (e.g. suspected plagiarism). Rejecting or disliking the Editor’s suggestions is not a basis for refusing to pay the fees outlined in this Agreement.
Indemnity and Liability
The Editor will comply with all applicable laws in the course of performing the services. The Client agrees to indemnify the Editor from any and all claims or demands, including legal fees, that arise out of any alleged libel, copyright infringement, or other legal or contractual issues created by the Client in writing, revising, publishing, or otherwise using the work.
Failure to Perform: If the Editor cannot perform the duties outlined in this Agreement for reasons beyond the Client’s or Editor’s control, the Editor will refund any amount paid by the Client for services not delivered. The Client will not have any further liability with respect to the Agreement.
Termination
This Agreement may be terminated by the Client or the Editor with at least 7 days’ notice. If the Agreement is terminated, the Client will pay the Editor, as specified under Financial Details, for work done and expenses incurred up to the date of termination. Subject to the terms for a deposit, any fees advanced will be credited against the amount due.
The provisions of this Agreement that by their nature are intended to extend beyond its termination will survive and remain in effect despite the completion of the services or the termination of the Agreement. This includes the sections of this Agreement required for its interpretation and enforcement.
Dispute Resolution
The Client or the Editor may request that any dispute arising out of this Agreement be submitted to binding arbitration before a mutually agreed-upon arbitrator in accordance with the arbitration legislation of the governing province or territory. The arbitrator’s decision or award will be final.
Applicable Law
This Agreement will be governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of Scotland, UK.
If any part of this Agreement is found to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, it will be considered separate from this Agreement and will not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining Agreement. If either the Client or the Editor waives a breach or default under this Agreement, the waiver will not apply to a repeat of the same breach or to a breach or default of another clause in the Agreement.
Modification of Agreement
Any modification of this Agreement must be in writing and acknowledged in writing by both the Client and the Editor.