Terms & conditions

The following terms and conditions apply to any freelance copyediting or other editorial work undertaken by Georgina Asfaw (‘the Freelancer’) for the Client. The Client must acknowledge, in writing (including email), that they have read, understood, and agreed to these terms and conditions before commencement of the work. If the Client has any questions or concerns about these terms and conditions, then any alterations must be proposed and agreed in writing with the Freelancer before commencement of the work.

General terms

• These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client by the Freelancer.
• The Client is under no obligation to offer the Freelancer work; neither is the Freelancer under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
• The Freelancer will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing (via email) by the Client.
• The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by the Freelancer, using her own equipment.
• The Freelancer shall not subcontract the work or any part of the work to a third party.
• The Freelancer confirms that she is self-employed, is responsible for her own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees.
• The Freelancer agrees to attend the Client’s or other premises for meetings when necessary, the time spent and agreed reasonable expenses incurred to be reimbursed by the Client.
• The Client will reimburse the Freelancer for agreed reasonable expenses over and above usual expenses incurred in the process of editorial work.

Fees and invoicing

• The Freelancer will provide a quotation for fees after the Client has confirmed the word count of the manuscript to be copyedited and/or a description of the work required (project brief). The Freelancer may also request a representative sample of the manuscript to provide an accurate quotation.
• The Client will pay the Freelancer a fee per word OR a fee per hour, whichever is determined by the Freelancer as most appropriate according to the work required.
• Once agreed between the Client and the Freelancer, the fee is non-negotiable. However, the quotation may be renegotiated by the Freelancer under the following circumstances:
  • If the Client extends the word count of the job.
  • If the Client requests additional or different services to those originally agreed.
• The completed work will be delivered on or before a reasonable date agreed between the Freelancer and the Client. However, the delivery date may be renegotiated by the Freelancer under the following circumstances:
  • If, 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 from the preliminary discussion or brief. The Freelancer will update the Client at agreed intervals on her progress to ensure the Client is aware of any potential revisions to the delivery date as early as possible.
  • If the manuscript to be worked on is received after the agreed start time.
  • If the Client extends the word count of the job.
  • If the Client requests additional or different services to those originally agreed.
• Unless otherwise agreed, the Freelancer will supply the Client with an invoice immediately upon return of the completed project.
• If the project is lengthy, the Freelancer may invoice periodically for completed stages, as agreed in advance with the Client.
• Payment should be made within 30 days of receipt of the invoice.
• Under the terms of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (amended 2002 and 2013), the Freelancer reserves the right to charge interest and compensation should payment exceed 30 days.

Deposits and confirmation of booking

• To secure an editorial slot, the Client will pay the Freelancer a deposit of 20 per cent.
• The deposit will be deducted from the final invoice issued when the work is complete.
• The booking is considered confirmed once the deposit has been paid by the Client and received by the Freelancer.
• All deposits are non-refundable.

Copyright and confidentiality

• All content delivered to the Freelancer by the Client for the copyediting project is owned by the Client.
• Any content created by the Freelancer as part of the copyediting process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed.
• The Client agrees to hold the Freelancer harmless from and against all claims, liabilities and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against the Client arising from the content.
• 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.
• The information that the Client and the Freelancer 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 the Freelancer. Both the Client and the Freelancer 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.

Project completion and termination

• If the Freelancer’s work is reasonably confirmed to be unsatisfactory, the Freelancer will rectify it in her own time and at her own expense. The Client will give the Freelancer fair and reasonable feedback on the work done, and in a timely manner. If the Client does not get back to the Freelancer after two weeks, the Freelancer will assume the work is completed to an acceptable standard and that the job is complete.
• Either the Client or the Freelancer has the right to terminate a contract for services if there is a serious breach of its terms.
• The Client is free to cancel a service at any time for any reason. Such cancellation must be provided in writing (including email). If a job is cancelled by the Client after work has begun, the Freelancer will charge the Client a proportionate fee to cover work already completed, if this amount is larger than the deposit paid.

Acknowledgements and testimonials

• The Freelancer may use the Client’s name and/or logo in her promotional material and describe the work done. She may also use Client quotations as testimonials; however, if a quotation effectively identifies the Client, or if the Client’s name is to be used with the quotation, the Freelancer will obtain the Client’s permission in advance.
• If the Client wishes to mention the Freelancer in the acknowledgements section of the published work, then the Client shall give the Freelancer the opportunity to review any such mention prior to publication or to decline to be mentioned.

Legal jurisdiction

• This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both Freelancer and Client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.