TERMS AND CONDITIONS

When I work for authors and self-publishers

The best thing in the first instance is to e-mail me a chapter and any outline you have prepared. I'll read them and send you back my first impressions, whether I think I'm the right person to help you, and if so what help I can provide (with times and estimated fees). First impressions are very important, particularly to an agent, or publishing editor, or someone in a shop looking at a publication by someone they haven't heard of.

As I understand it, a contract is created between us if I e-mail you, saying 'I can do this, that and the other, which will take [time] and cost [money]', and you reply 'fine, go ahead' or 'do this and that, but not the other'. I charge for work at the end of each job or agreed stage, and my invoice states that you have 30 days to pay me. I have not registered for VAT.

Avoiding misunderstandings

It is vital to agree in advance when a job will be 'complete'. Normally, unless I'm asked otherwise, I make certain assumptions when I quote:

●   development editing jobs sometimes finish when I return to you a list of comments and queries, but more often clients ask me to look at revised documents—I will have allowed for one such revision in my quotation, and if further work is required we'll have to discuss terms
●   copy editing jobs sometimes finish when I return to you a set of marked-up documents or electronic files and a list of queries, but more often clients ask me to wait for them to reply to the queries and to then make the necessary changes to the documents/files—if you wish to make small extra changes at this stage, please let me know: I won't have allowed for this in my quotation
●   proofreading: the job is finished when I return the marked-up proofs (electronic or hard-copy) to you with any report that might be necessary—if you wish me to read a second proof, please let me know: I won't have allowed for this in my quotation, and
●   layout or typesetting jobs can end when I return to you a set of typeset files, or a PDF in the form your printer requires; you might require me to supply these files or PDF to your printer; you might even want me to manage the whole printing process.

For electronic and online texts, you might ask me to work on a dummy version of your site, on the files that make it up or directly in a content management system. Such projects will often be similar either to proofreading or to copy editing, and (unless asked otherwise) my quotation will be based on assumptions like those set out above.

Professional standards

I am an Advanced Professional Member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP). As such, I am bound by the Society's Code of Practice.

To see my credentials, download my CV in PDF format.