Proofreading Terms and Conditions

By engaging Becky Bowden to edit or proofread your project, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

THE PROJECT

All work will be carried out by me. I do not subcontract to anyone else. I confirm that I am self-employed, I am responsible for my own tax and National Insurance contributions, and I am not VAT-registered.

As your proofreader, I will, where relevant, check the following aspects for errors and inconsistencies:

• Sense and clarity of the wording
• Spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Double words, omitted words, and incorrect word usage
• Capitalisation, hyphenatio,n and abbreviation
• fonts and font emphasis (use of bold and italics)

I am not responsible for the layout or text display. If I believe that a large part of the copy would benefit from edits that would change or take away from your tone of voice or plot, I will consult you before making such changes, and we will discuss this together. I am on your side, and our end goal is the same.

FEES

A fee for the project will be agreed upon before work begins, based on the document or word count that you supply. Should extra material be added by you, either before work starts or during the editing or proofreading process, a separate price for that will be negotiated.

Please note: if, on receipt of the project 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 or from the sample supplied, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline, or decline to carry out the work.

Unless otherwise agreed, the fee quoted is for one pass of a manuscript. Additional passes are new projects, the terms of which will be agreed separately.  The fees for editing and proofreading do not include fact-checking; it is the author’s responsibility to check that facts are correct.

Please note: for new customers, I may request a non-refundable 25% deposit when you commission me to undertake the work.

CANCELLATION POLICY

When you commission me to edit or proofread your material, I will allocate a slot in my schedule to your project. This may be several months ahead, depending on my availability.

If you cancel the work after the project has begun, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee.

If, in the unlikely event, you experience extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), please contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I always aim to be fair and helpful.

If, in the unlikely event, I experience extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), I will contact you in writing at the earliest opportunity and do my best to renegotiate the time frame of the project.
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COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT

You will be sent the final invoice after you receive your edited or proofread work; this invoice is to be paid within 30 days.

Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (amended 2002 and 2013), I reserve the right to charge interest and compensation should payment exceed 30 days.

If you are dissatisfied with my work, please contact me and explain why so that I can try to rectify the situation. Please bear in mind that while I will always aim to return an error-free document, perfection is impossible to achieve. Please make sure that you read through the final version yourself and check that you are happy with it before publishing.

While I will endeavour to point out any potential legal issues, the author is responsible for ensuring that the material is appropriate for publication, and I can accept no liability for any action raised as a result of incorrect or defamatory material.

I may use your name and link to your book’s sales page on my website and social media. If you do not want me to do this, please let me know.

Please be assured that your work will be kept confidential and will not be shared with any third parties without your full consent.