Communication
Communication is essential so that I know how to effectively resolve any problems in the copy edit or proofread and to better carry out your requirements. Before any work begins I must be confident we understand what is expected and that we are in agreement about our expectations.
I prefer to conduct business via email. If you need to get in touch by mobile, please be aware that I do not answer unknown phone numbers, so please get in touch first via an alternative route or leave a text or a voicemail if you must get in touch this way. If we’re going to finalise project agreements, it is best if it is done in writing/email.
Deadlines
If you have a deadline or a fixed period when you want the work to be carried out then please contact me in sufficient time before so that I have time to consider your project, agree on expectations in a contract or informal agreement, schedule you in before work commences, and complete the work to standard. I’d say 6–10 days may be necessary before the start date. Please allow time for the aforementioned in this paragraph even if you don’t have a deadline, which will make it easier for us work.
If you have a deadline of four weeks or under, it’s possible I will request full payment upfront instead of a deposit, to be paid in advance of the start date.
Before commencement
I work on a first-come-first-served basis. The client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the client.
The project must be sent as a single document, and the client cannot make further changes to the submitted project or send any other documents for me to work on once it has been received and confirmed by me and work has commenced, unless I have stipulated otherwise in writing/by email/contract.
Contract
It may be preferable for the client to digitally sign a contract, for the sake of clarity, and to make sure our expectations are in accord: what I will deliver for the client, the client’s final requirements, and of the client’s acceptance of these terms and conditions.
Validity of contract
This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales [or Scots or Northern Ireland law, as appropriate], and both freelance and client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh [or Scots or Northern Ireland] courts.
Alex James and the client hereby agree that the details of the contract are only valid:
1. Upon the signed acceptance of the contract by both Alex James and the client.
2. Upon Alex James having evidence of the received deposit fee, which will be 50% of the total fees.
*Digital signature of the contract will be understood as recognition by both parties of being as valid as any legal signature of acceptance, printed on paper or otherwise.
*Signature of the contract by both parties will be understood as acceptance of the Terms of Conditions.
Booking confirmed
Booking will only be confirmed once the contract has been signed and the deposit or full payment, depending on what has been agreed, has been paid.
The start date and the project delivery date will only be confirmed once the contract has been signed and the deposit or full payment, depending on what has been agreed, has been received in advance of the start date. If payment has not been received in advance of the start date, a new contract will be required and the one already sent, signed or not, will be considered null and void.
It’s only possible for work to commence once I’ve received the entire project file/s in advance of the start date. If the project file has been delivered late, a new contract, start date, and project delivery date may be necessary.
Rates
Guideline rates
As of 27th July 2022, my rates are worked out as £ (or your currency equivalent) per 10,000 words for all of my services. Yes, all of them: critique/structural editing, copy editing, and proofreading. This is because it will take me a similar length of time to carry out all of these services, depending on their word count.
I’m also willing to be flexible about payment based on your needs.
Projects under 10,000 words
Exceptions are fiction projects under 10,000 words or non-fiction projects. Please read the Contact page, or get in touch through the Contact page, if you wish to enquire about a project that is under 10,000 words.
Final rates
I will let you know my final rates for your project in a quote once you have supplied me with your brief and all final requirements for your project, which I may request. Every project is different, and because of this sometimes rates can be based on other factors too (not just the word count): complexity of brief, time it will take, my schedule, and probably wind speed also. It wouldn’t make sense to me to provide you with a fixed rate before I know what you’re wanting done with your project.
The final rates will be visible for you in a contract I’ll send to you, for your signature/agreement, so that you know what you’re paying for. Any rates I do put on my website, on a directory, or on any other social media, will be fulfilled in an agreement or contract at my discretion unless we both agree to follow the rules of a third-party enterprise.
Total fee payment
Unless agreed otherwise at the outset, payment will be made within 30 days of receipt of the Freelance’s invoice according to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1988 (amended 2002 and 2013)
During work
Please be aware that, if it soon becomes apparent that more work is required than I had anticipated in the preliminary discussions or from the brief or completed sample supplied then I reserve the right to renegotiate the fee, the deadline, or otherwise decline to carry out the work.
Client confidentiality and copyright
After the copy editing or proofreading process, content delivered to the client will become the copyright of the client, unless otherwise agreed.
The content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the client without prior written permission.
Last updated: 24th January 2023