These terms & conditions apply to any work done for the Client (you) by me (Bryony Leah, Copy Editor and Proofreader).

The Client is under no obligation to offer me work; neither am I under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.

I will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.

The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by me, using my own equipment.

The Client agrees that, unless otherwise agreed, or unless I deem it necessary, they will not be entitled to view the document/s I am working on in any format, or in any state of completion, before our agreed return date.

All work will be carried out by me. I will not outsource any work unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Client.

I confirm that I am self-employed, I am responsible for my own income tax and National Insurance contributions and will not claim benefits granted to the Client or the Client’s employees.

I am not VAT registered.

If I agree to attend the Client's or other premises for necessary meetings, the time spent and agreed reasonable expenses incurred are to be reimbursed by the Client.

The Client will reimburse me for agreed reasonable expenses over and above usual expenses incurred in the process of editorial work.

The Client will pay me a fee per hour OR per manuscript page OR an agreed flat fee for the job.

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.

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.

Similarly, if, during the term of my work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

If the project is lengthy, I may invoice periodically for completed stages.

In the case of illness, injury, or any other unforeseen personal circumstances, I may need to extend the agreed deadline for our work, and I will inform the Client as soon as possible before our agreed return date in such instances.

Any content created by me as part of the copyediting/proofreading/project management process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed.

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.

I guarantee that any work that I subcontract on behalf of the Client will be completed to the same standard, schedule and budget and with the same conditions of confidentiality.

I agree that, upon return of the work, the Client should be satisfied with the quality of work received, that it will be edited to the best of my abilities, to a very high standard within reasonable terms of our brief and the description of work required, as agreed on receipt of the work.

If my work is unsatisfactory, I will rectify it in my own time and at my own expense.

The Client agrees that some errors may still be present in the returned work, though these errors should not significantly impact the readability of the work.

Unless agreed otherwise at the outset, payment will be made within 30 days of receipt of my invoice, according to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (amended 2002 and 2013).

Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, the Client and I may keep on record such information (e.g. contact details) as is necessary. Either may view the other's records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.

I will not share the Client’s files with any third party, upload the Client’s files to any external website, or distribute the Client’s files by any means other than via email attachment between the Client and me, unless given permission to do so, in writing, by the Client.

Either the Client or I have the right to terminate a contract for services if there is a serious breach of its terms.

The Client agrees that any booking deposit paid for the work is non-refundable.

The Client agrees that any payment of a non-refundable booking deposit will be received as their agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions for the duration of our work together.

The Client agrees to pay at least 50% of the full agreed fee for the work in the event that they do not deliver the manuscript/documents/any other materials necessary for me to start the work on our agreed start date without informing me they need an extension, in writing, within a reasonable timeframe before our agreed start date.

The Client agrees to pay at least 50% of the full agreed fee for the work if they decide to cancel under unreasonable circumstances within 30 days of the agreed start date, or on the agreed start date, plus the reimbursement of any additional agreed expenses over and above usual expenses incurred in the process of editorial work.

The Client agrees to pay 100% of the full agreed fee for the work if they decide to cancel under unreasonable circumstances after the work has begun, plus the reimbursement of any additional agreed expenses over and above usual expenses incurred in the process of editorial work.

I reserve the right to cancel or refuse the work, even after work has begun, if such matters as plagiarism, extremist views, hate speech, harassment, unlawful conduct, misappropriation, impersonation, threats directed at named individuals or groups, offensive, harmful, inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate content, or any other matters of reasonable concern that I do not feel comfortable working on, arise within the work or become evident in association with the Client.

The Client agrees to pay at least 50% of the full agreed fee for the work, or the equivalent value of the work completed thus far if the work completed exceeds 50% of the full agreed fee, if during the work it becomes apparent to me that I can no longer reasonably continue due to concerns encompassing such matters as plagiarism, extremist views, hate speech, harassment, unlawful conduct, misappropriation, impersonation, threats directed at named individuals or groups, offensive, harmful, inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate content, or any other matters of reasonable concern that I do not feel comfortable working on.

I reserve the right to request that my name is not mentioned in association with the work.

If I have made a substantial contribution to the copy-editing/proofreading/project management of the work, I will be entitled to receive one free copy of the work.

I may use the Client's name in my promotional material unless otherwise agreed.

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