Last updated on August 2024
These terms and conditions (T&C) are provided so that you and I understand some important aspects of what you can expect and how we will work together. Every relationship is different; therefore, please get in touch if you want to discuss anything.
- These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client (you) by me (Nazneen, of Nazneen Editorial Services and Leyton Village Publishing).
- The Client is under no obligation to offer me work, and I am under no obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
- I will provide service(s) to the Client as mutually agreed and confirmed in writing.
- 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. I am responsible for paying my income tax and National Insurance contributions and will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees.
- Nazneen Editorial Services and Leyton Village Publishing are not VAT-registered.
- I agree to attend the Client’s or other premises for necessary meetings. The Client agrees to reimburse me for the time spent and expenses incurred as a result. Expenses should be agreed upon beforehand.
- The Client will reimburse me for agreed reasonable expenses over and above the usual expenses incurred in the process of editorial work.
- Quotations. A quotation for the work will be provided by me to the Client following a discussion with the Client about the project. Quotations are valid for eight weeks from the date they are sent to the Client.
- Projects
10.1 Before the project commences, the Client and I will agree, in writing, the terms of the project. Preferably, this will be via email, but it can also be done on WhatsApp or other channels of communication. The terms of the project will include:
10.2 The Client should supply a written project brief, or a work outline should be written by me.
10.3 The medium on which the service is being carried out (e.g. Word, PDF, Canva, WordPress.com, or other platform) should be specified.
10.4 The Client and I should discuss how the project will be carried out (e.g. Track changes, BSI correction symbols on PDF, comments on Canva, comments on Google Docs, or perhaps direct changes to the platform’s page).
10.5 The Client and I should agree on timelines, including the date the Client will hand over materials to me and the length of time needed to carry out the service (decided by me). The Client and I will need to agree on a reasonable deadline.
10.6 New Clients will receive a copy of this T&C. By agreeing to use my services, Clients agree to the T&C, the project brief/work outline and the agreed costs.
10.7 For long projects and retainers, a schedule of work or a list describing the type of work and expected days should be specified.
10.8 Any additional expenses (e.g. printing or postage) should be discussed.
10.9 A non-refundable deposit will need to be paid before work commences (see 23.2).
10.10 Once work has commenced, if it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been originally discussed, I may seek to renegotiate the fee and deadline/or decline to carry out the work. In the case of a retainer arrangement, an additional fee may be requested.
10.11 Unless otherwise agreed, a project involves one pass of a document/manuscript (also called ‘one round’ or ‘one revision’). Additional passes will incur additional costs. - Retainers. A retainer is a useful and cost-effective arrangement for clients. It allows the Client to request regular or sporadic work over a long period of time and gives the Client priority access to my services. Retainer agreements may be reviewed periodically to remain workable and beneficial to both the Client and myself.
- Missing deadlines. The Client understands that if they miss the deadline to hand over materials for the project, the timeline and any other deadlines will need to be renegotiated to allow me to manage work from other clients that had been scheduled but may now overlap.
- Delays. I will try to be flexible, as I understand that unavoidable issues may cause delays. Therefore, the Client may postpone the project by up to six months from the day it was meant to begin. However, the Client should inform me about delays as soon as possible so I may schedule other work.
- Communication
14.1 The Client is responsible for communicating with me if they postpone the project. If delays continue without notice and/or the Client does not commence the project within six months of the original start date, the agreement is considered lapsed, and a new agreement, project brief, and quotation must be drawn up, and a new deposit will need to be paid.
14.2 The Client is responsible for staying in communication with me. I am not required to chase the Client to complete a project. - Fees
15.1 All matters related to fees should be agreed upon before work commences, preferably by email. Fees will usually be based on prices per hour, per project, or a retainer schedule.
15.2 For projects, fees include a non-refundable deposit paid before the project begins. This is treated as a booking fee to schedule my time and compensation if the Client delays without giving notice to allow me to schedule new work.
15.3 Once work has commenced, if it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been originally discussed, I may seek to renegotiate the fee and deadline/or decline to carry out the work. In the case of a retainer arrangement, an additional fee may be requested.
15.4 Fees can be revised if the client requests additional tasks from me during the project’s term. - Late Payments. Late payments are costly to small businesses, require time to chase up and can adversely affect the growth and development of a business. Unless agreed otherwise at the outset, payments should be made within 14 days of receipt of an invoice. According to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (amended 2002 and 2013), I am within my rights to charge a late payment fee (labelled ‘interest’) for payments that are more than 30 days late (from the date of the invoice).
- Cancellation
17.1 Both the Client and I have the right to terminate services at any time if there is a serious breach of its terms.
17.2 The Client is free to cancel a service but must give me written notice (via email); I must acknowledge this cancellation in writing (via email) for it to be valid.
17.3 If the Client cancels the work during the editing/proofreading project, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee.
17.4 Although unlikely, I may cancel a service at any time for any reason by providing written notice (via email) to the Client. - Copyright and Legal Issues
18.1 The Client is responsible for all legal, copyright and reproduction issues. The Client is advised to seek legal advice before publication.
18.2 Unless otherwise agreed, any content I create as part of the project will belong to the Client (the Client owns the copyright).
18.3 The Client agrees to hold me harmless from all claims, liabilities and expenses arising from any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against them.
18.4 The Client bears ultimate responsibility for matters relating to libel, obscenity, blasphemy, hate, incitement to racial hatred, plagiarism and the reproduction of copyright material belonging to third parties.
18.5 The Client is solely responsible for the success of their publications or business and cannot hold me liable for any failures. - Confidentiality. 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 consent.
- Subcontracts
20.1 I may subcontract work.
20.2 I guarantee that any work I subcontract on behalf of the Client will be completed to a quality standard. - Quality assurance
21.1 I am an entry-level member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and adhere to its Code of Practice.
21.2 I cannot guarantee that the Client will secure success as a result of my work.
21.3 I cannot guarantee perfection. My services are aimed at improving material. - Dissatisfaction. The consensus among editors is that editorial perfection is an impossibility, even with technological advancements and the more problems a text has, the harder it is to eliminate all errors. While I aim to deliver quality and care to all projects, I am unable to guarantee perfection or 100 per cent error-free text. Where possible and reasonable, if my work is unsatisfactory, I will aim to rectify problems if I can.
- Payments
23.1 Payments can be made via bank transfer (BACS) or PayPal.
23.2 All projects require a non-refundable deposit from the Client before work commences (see 10.9).
23.3 If the project is short, an invoice will be issued at the same time as when the project is handed over or when the client expresses satisfaction with the work.
23.4 In the case of author support, a payment schedule will be set up according to milestones.
23.5 In the case of a retainer, a schedule of payment will be set up. - GDPR
24.1 The terms of the General Data Protection Regulation cover the information that the Client and I may keep on record. Only necessary information will be held at any one time. The Client can find my privacy policy here.
24.2 In terms of data, both the Client and I agree that by working together, consent has been requested and obtained. Either may view the other’s records to ensure they are correct and current. - Marketing
25.1 I may use the Client’s name and work in my promotional materials and may request that the Client’s logo be featured in my portfolio to show other clients.
25.2 In the case of books, e-books, magazines, e-magazines and zines, if I have contributed substantially to the work’s copyediting/proof-editing/proofreading/project management, I will be entitled to receive one free copy of the work. If I have offered the service of my publication imprint, I will require six copies (five copies will be sent to the British Libraries if requested). - Jurisdiction. This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both I and the Client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
- Confirming agreement. The T&C and project brief/work outline are agreed upon by signing the T&C document or by confirming the work by email.
