Terms & Conditions

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These terms & conditions aim to provide a clear, upfront understanding of what’s involved in working together. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch so that I can provide clarity or reassurance.

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General

  1. These terms & conditions apply to any work done for the Client (you) by me (Tracy McIntosh t/a Distilled Editorial Services).
  2. I will provide copywriting, editing and/or proofreading services as agreed in writing between myself and the Client.
  3. The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
  4. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment.
  5. The work will be carried out by me. I will not subcontract proofreading or editing projects, in whole or in part, to a third party without prior agreement from the Client. 
  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.
  7. I am not registered for VAT.
  8. The contract of service requires that the Client acknowledges, in writing (including email), that they have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions.

Project

  1. Before any copywriting/editing/proofreading work is carried out, the Client and I will agree, in writing (including email), on all relevant details required for its completion. These will include (but not be limited to): the medium/format in which the work is to be completed, required word count, preferred annotation method, the length of time required, the deadline for work completion, any reasonable expenses and the fee for the work.
  2. Unless discussed otherwise in advance, quotes for editing and proofreading projects include one pass of the document. If the Client wishes to include extra passes in the project this should be brought up with me at the earliest possible time, and the quote will be adjusted to reflect this.
  3. Any and all supporting files required for the completion of the work must be provided on agreement to the terms. No changes to the material(s) are allowed once they have been received by me.
  4. In the event of work being booked in advance (as in, the work is not to begin upon confirmation of the terms), all relevant files are due to be received by me no later than 24 hours before the project start date, unless other arrangements have been made and/or agreed to by me. Any delays may result in rescheduling of the work, pending availability.
  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.
  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, or decline to complete the work.
  7. Similarly, if, during the term of my work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.
  8. Any content created by me as part of the copywriting/editing/proofreading process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed, once payment has been received by me.
  9. I will complete the contracted copywriting/editing/proofreading work to the best of my ability but cannot guarantee a 100% error-free document. The Client takes full responsibility for approving the final work upon completion and I am not liable for any loss, damages or costs incurring from errors left in the work following the Client’s review.

Fees & Payments

  1. A quote for the proposed work will be provided after discussion of the project specifics and the assessment of a sample of the work (where applicable).
  2. Quotations will be valid for 28 days from the date of issue.
  3. The Client will pay me a fee per 1,000 words OR per hour OR an agreed flat fee for the project, as agreed in writing.
  4. Quotations will be provided in Pounds Sterling (GBP). International clients must ensure that any conversion charges are processed outside of the agreed fee for the work. 
  5. For national Clients (those residing within the UK/paying directly in GBP) payment should be made by direct bank transfer. If for any reason the client requires the payment to be processed through a card transaction, this should be made clear to me upon booking of work and the required processing fees will be added to each invoice.
  6. Once the Client and I have agreed on the full fee, it is non-negotiable unless the Client extends the word count of the job or requests additional services. In this case, a revised quotation and job-completion date will be negotiated.
  7. I require a deposit of 50% of the total agreed fee before the scheduling of work by new Clients. This deposit is due upon receipt of the deposit invoice. All deposits are non-refundable.
  8. I reserve the right to request the full fee in advance for short projects.
  9. If the project is lengthy, I may invoice periodically for completed stages. Payment terms such as these will be agreed to before any work is carried out.
  10. Any payments made before the completion of the project (deposits etc.) will be deducted from the final invoice.
  11. Unless agreed otherwise at the outset, final payment will be due on completion of the work, and before the completed work is returned to the Client.
  12. Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, I reserve the right to charge interest and compensation should payment exceed 30 days. Details can be found here.

Cancellation Policy

Terms

  1. Both parties have the right to terminate a contract for services at any time in case of a serious breach of its terms.
  2. The Client is free to cancel a service for any reason by providing me with written notice (including email); I must acknowledge this cancellation in writing (including email) for this to be valid.
  3. I may cancel a service at any time for any reason by providing written notice (including email) to the Client
  4. In the unlikely event that I cancel a service, I will provide a pro-rata refund of any overages of fees paid (including the booking fee).
  5. If, in the unlikely event that the Client is subject to extenuating circumstances that cause cancellation or delay (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), the Client should contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I aim to be fair and helpful at all times.
  6. If by any extenuating circumstances (such as illness) I am unable to complete the work by the agreed date, I will contact the Client in writing at the earliest opportunity to renegotiate the timeline for work completion. If we are unable to agree on a revised timeline the booking fee will be refunded.

Fees

  1. CANCELLATION DURING THE PROJECT: If the Client cancels the work during the proofreading/editing project, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee).
  2. CANCELLATION PRIOR TO PROJECT COMMENCEMENT: If the Client wishes to cancel with less than one month’s notice, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee).​ If the Client wishes to cancel with more than one month’s notice, the booking fee will not be refunded but no other charge will apply.

Pre-Project Reminders

I will contact the Client two weeks before the mutually agreed start date with a reminder that the file is due 24 hours before said start date.

  1. If in the unlikely event that the Client does not confirm in writing (including email) within one week prior to the mutually agreed start date that they will be supplying the file for editing, the project is deemed to have been cancelled by the Client and the slot in my schedule will be released.
  2. If, as is likely, the Client confirms the project, I will ask for the file to be sent to me 24 hours before the start date.

Confidentiality

  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.
  2. The information that the Client and I may keep on record is covered by the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation. No more such information will be held than is necessary, at any time, to comply with those terms and with any compliance statement or privacy policy published by the Client and/or me. Both the Client and I agree that, where consent is required to hold or process such data, such consent has been requested and obtained and both facts can be demonstrated. Either may view the other’s records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.

Copyright

  1. All content delivered to me by the Client for the copywriting/editing/proofreading project is owned by the Client.
  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.
  3. Following payment of my invoice, any content created by me as part of the copywriting/editing/proofreading process will become the copyright of the Client unless otherwise agreed.
Liability & Errors
  1. I undertake to make all reasonable efforts to carry out the assignment in accordance with the Client’s instructions, which must be given in writing prior to the start of the assignment. The Client accepts that I set my own working methods and undertake to provide the assignment to the standards accepted within the publishing industry of the United Kingdom. I accept no liability for the omission of material to which I have no reasonable access.
  2. I shall make every effort to avoid errors however I accept no responsibility for any errors, ambiguity or lack of clarity or the consequences of any errors, ambiguity or lack of clarity in original material supplied.

Legal Jurisdiction

  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.
  2. The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of this Agreement shall be Leeds, England.

Privacy Policy & GDPR

Please read my Privacy Policy, which explains the data I collect, how I use it and store it, and my compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Acknowledgments in Published Works

  1. There is no requirement for the Client to mention me in the published work’s acknowledgments section. However, the Client agrees that I will have the opportunity to review any such mention prior to publication, or to decline to be mentioned.
  2. I have the right, subject to the Client’s written authorisation, to include the Client’s work in my portfolio of completed projects.