terms & conditions.
General overview
These terms and conditions apply to any work done on behalf of the ‘Client’ (you) by the ‘Editor’ (Carlie Slattery, trading as Under the Stairs Editorial).
The Editor will provide editing services as agreed upon, in writing, with the Client
The Client is under no obligation to offer the Editor work; neither is the Editor under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client
The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by the Editor, using the Editor’s own equipment
The Editor confirms they are self-employed and responsible for their own income tax and will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees. This is not an employer/employee relationship
An Editorial Agreement requires that the Client and the Editor acknowledge, in writing, they have read, understood and agreed to these Terms and Conditions, and must be signed and returned before work can commence.
Project terms
Prior to commencement of the work, the Client and Editor will agree, in writing, to the terms of the project:
The medium in which the editing service will be carried out (e.g. Microsoft Word)
How the material will be annotated (e.g. Comments and/or Track Changes in Word)
The length of time required to complete the project, as advised by the Editor
A fee for the project, based on a quotation supplied by the Editor, in writing, following the Editor’s evaluation of the material to be edited and/or the time frame required to complete the job
The date by which the work will be delivered by the Client to the Editor
The latest date by which the completed project will be returned to the Client.
Please note that if on receipt of the project it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than was anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief or from the sample supplied, the Editor reserves the right to renegotiate the fee and/or deadline, or decline to carry out the work.
Any modifications to the original brief by the Client will render the original quote invalid and work will cease until a new quote and deposit (if applicable) have been accepted.
Pricing & payments
A quotation for the work is supplied after an evaluation of the text and/or a discussion with the Client as to what is required.
The Client will pay the Editor a fee per hour OR per word OR an agreed flat fee for the job, depending on the nature of the work, according to prior agreement.
Once the Client and Editor have agreed on the fee, it is non-negotiable unless the Client extends the word count or requests additional services. In this case, a revised quotation and job completion date will be negotiated.
Under the Stairs Editorial has a seven-day payment period after the date of invoice.
Manuscripts:
Prior to work commencement, a 50% non-refundable deposit of the quoted amount must be paid, plus return via email a signed Editorial Agreement and written acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. If a deposit is not paid within seven days, work will not begin and the time slot agreed upon will be released to other clients.
On completion: The remaining 50% will be invoiced on completion of the work. Work will be returned to the Client once payment is received. Unpaid final invoices will incur an additional fee and eventual referral to debt collectors.
Subediting:
Prior to work commencement, all clients must return via email a written acceptance of these Terms and Conditions and, where applicable, a signed Editorial Agreement.
Invoices will be sent upon completion of the work and must be paid within seven days. Unpaid invoices will incur an additional fee and eventual referral to debt collectors, and any further bookings will be cancelled.
Content editing:
Prior to work commencement, all clients must return via email a written acceptance of these Terms and Conditions and, where applicable, a signed Editorial Agreement.
Invoices will be sent upon completion of the work and must be paid within seven days. Unpaid invoices will incur an additional fee and after six weeks will be referred to debt collectors, and any further bookings will be cancelled.
Cancellation policy
Cancellation during the project:
In the event that the Client cancels the work during the editing process, the Editor reserves the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less any advance payment).
Cancellation prior to project commencement:
In the event that the Client cancels the work prior to the editing process commencing, but after making a booking and agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of service, the Editor reserves the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less any advance payment) if the cancellation occurs with less than two weeks’ notice for manuscripts and less than three days’ notice for sub-editing and content clients.
In the event that the Client wishes to cancel before work commencement with more than two weeks’ notice for manuscripts and more than three days’ notice for sub-editing and content clients, no further charges will apply. Deposits, however, are non-refundable.
Both the Client and the Editor have the right to terminate an Editorial Agreement for services at any time if there is a serious breach of its terms.
If the Editor is touched by extraordinary circumstances that force cancellation (e.g. severe illness, bereavement), they will contact the Client in writing at the earliest opportunity and renegotiate the time frame of the project or, where possible, assist in finding an alternative supplier of editing services. Where the working relationship ceases as a result of this circumstance, any deposits paid will be refunded.
Confidentiality
The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client without prior written permission.
The Editor will not, under any circumstances, disclose anything written or said to them by the Client to third parties.
The Editor will not, under any circumstances, upload the Client’s files to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorised to do so, in writing, by the Client.
The Editor uses Microsoft OneDrive as a cloud storage system, to allow work to be undertaken on multiple devices. This system is protected by password and two-factor authentication, and is accessible only to the Editor. Upon completion and acceptance of the work, the work is stored in the cloud for a period of one year, or unless its removal is specifically requested by the Client.
Once the work is published or released, the Editor may request permission to share the Client’s work on their website and social media; this will not occur without the Client’s written permission, and granting permission is entirely at the Client’s discretion.
Completed work
As editing is not an exact science, no two editors will deliver the exact same changes to a project. The Editor provides editorial assessment, recommendations and changes based on their own skills, experience and qualifications and, as such, cannot be refused payment if the Client disagrees with some or all of the work.
The Client acknowledges that editorial feedback and recommendations are suggestions only and they are under no obligation to change their work. As such, responsibility of the final work is the Client’s own. The Editor is not responsible or liable for any resulting negative impacts of the work.
Copyright
All content delivered to the Editor by the Client for the editing project is owned by the Client. Following payment of the invoice, any content created by the Editor as part of the editing process will become the copyright of the Client unless otherwise agreed.
Testimonials & acknowledgements
The Editor may ask the Client to provide a testimonial for publication on this website and/or social media. Occasionally, the Editor may also seek permission to display an image or portion of the work completed for display on this website.
The Editor appreciates acknowledgement of their contribution, should the Client’s work be published, with prior consent.
Errors & amendments
The Editor endeavours to ensure all work delivered to the Client is error-free, however very occasionally an error can slip through. It is the Client’s responsibility to check the work prior to publication or dissemination, including accuracy and fact-checking. Under the Stairs Editorial will not be liable for any issues that arise from incorrect content once it has been accepted and the final fee paid.
Indemnity
While the Editor will make every effort to bring legally questionable material to the attention of the Client, the Client agrees to indemnify the Editor from any and all claims, including legal fees, arising out of any alleged defamation or copyright infringement committed by the Client in creating the work. The Editor shall not be required to purchase professional indemnity insurance at her own cost.
Legal jurisdiction
This agreement is subject to the laws of Australia, and both the Client and Editor agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the Australian courts.
Privacy Policy
Please read the Privacy Policy, which explains what personal data is collected, how it is used and stored, and the Editor’s compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles.
These Terms and Conditions apply to all work undertaken by Under the Stairs Editorial and may change without notice.