Terms & conditions

As a Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), I, Jonathan Fletcher (Fletcher Editing), abide by its Code of Practice.

1. These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client by Fletcher Editing.

2. The Client is under no obligation to offer Fletcher Editing work; neither is Fletcher Editing under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client. 

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

4. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by Fletcher Editing, using his own equipment.

5. Fletcher Editing confirms that he is self-employed, is responsible for his own income tax contributions (VAT is not applicable) and will not claim benefits granted to the Client's employees.

6. Fletcher Editing agrees to attend the Client's or other premises for necessary meetings, the time spent and agreed reasonable expenses incurred to be reimbursed by the Client.

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

8. The Client will pay Fletcher Editing a fee per hour, per printed page, per word or per character, or an agreed flat fee for the job. 

9. 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.

10. 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, Fletcher Editing may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

11. Similarly, if, during the term of Fletcher Editing's work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, Fletcher Editing may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

12. If the project is lengthy, Fletcher Editing may invoice periodically for completed stages.

13. Any content created by Fletcher Editing as part of the copyediting/proofreading/copywriting process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed.

14. 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.

15. Fletcher Editing guarantees that any work that she subcontracts on behalf of the Client will be completed to the same standard, schedule and budget and with the same conditions of confidentiality.

16. If Fletcher Editing's work is unsatisfactory, Fletcher Editing will rectify it in his own time and at his own expense.

17. For private individuals, payment is required upfront for projects below 10,000 words, and half upfront for larger projects. For companies, unless agreed otherwise at the outset, payment will be made within 30 days of receipt of Fletcher Editing's invoice. Fletcher Editing reserves the right to charge interest on overdue amounts at the rate of 3% per month on the outstanding balance from the date of the invoice until the date of payment.

18. The information that the Client and Fletcher Editing may keep on record is covered by the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 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 Fletcher Editing. Both the Client and Fletcher Editing 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.

19. Either the Client or Fletcher Editing has the right to terminate a contract for services if there is a serious breach of terms.

20. If Fletcher Editing has made a substantial contribution to the copyediting/proofreading/copywriting of the work, she will be entitled to receive one free copy of the work.

21. Fletcher Editing may use the Client's name in his promotional material.

22. Any errors will be rectified free of charge by Fletcher Editing if notified by the Client within 48 hours of receipt of completed work or within 14 days for work of more than 3,000 words.

23. Final responsibility for any errors in completed work rests solely with the Client.

24. Fletcher Editing is not responsible for the end use of any document produced or edited through his services. The Client is solely responsible for its appropriate use, including abiding by any copyright laws, plagiarism laws and publishing requirements.

25. Fletcher Editing is not responsible for the content of any document supplied to him.

26. The Client should not pass off plagiarised material as its own original work. Fletcher Editing will assume no responsibility for any plagiarised material supplied by the Client and reserves the right to return the work should he become aware of such inappropriate use.

27. This agreement is subject to the laws of Portugal, and both Fletcher Editing and the Client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the Portuguese courts.