• First off, some points on the framework I will use for conducting your edit/proofread.

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• ​Unless you tell me otherwise I will use industry standard style guides. For the UK, I use New Hart's Rules and for the US, the Chicago Manual of Style.

• If you consistently use punctuation preferences that fall outside of your relevant style guide e.g. using spaced em-rules, I will check with you about whether you want to retain your individual punctuation or revert to industry standard.

• I will add all style choices to a style sheet that will be given to you as part of the service.

• UK or US spelling will be applied according to your country of origin, I will not Americanise UK text or Anglicise US text though as this is a far more complicated and intricate process.

• All spelling choices e.g. hyphenation, capitalisation, consistency for created or historical words, will be listed and included with your style guide.

• You will receive my feedback when I have completed the work and not before.

• I allow the opportunity for you to ask me questions after you have received your final documentation. These questions should refer to the existing work. If they should stray into additional editorial work or become unreasonable in volume, we would negotiate a fee for the extra work.

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• I will always aim to ensure that all errors and inconsistencies are corrected but perfection is not guaranteed. You can find out why this is and read my ethical guarantee on the What I Promise page. To help you get as close to perfection as possible, I recommend you get as many eyes as possible to look over your work.

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• Use beta readers or writers' groups to iron out characterisation and plot issues before sending your manuscript for line/copy-editing.

• Use a copy-editor before paying for proofreading.

• Get a proofreader after you have made your line/copy-editing changes.

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I know budget is a consideration in this, so, at the very least, make use of the free help that is available, e.g. beta readers, writers' groups, friends, family, to support the work done by me.

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• The copyright for any changes I make remains with you and the confidentiality of your work is assured.

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• The deadline will only change if:

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• It becomes clear, when I receive your full manuscript, that there is more work involved than originally anticipated,

• More work is added to the brief,

• My work schedule becomes seriously disrupted by something unforeseen e.g. family bereavement, severe illness, technical disaster.

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In all instances, you will be contacted immediately and we will negotiate a new deadline.

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• Where I notice legal issues or factual inaccuracies, I will either make the necessary changes in the manuscript or raise my concerns with you, but ultimately, you are responsible for ensuring that the facts you publish are correct and for any legal issues arising from content you publish.

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• If you think you would like to include me in your book's credits, please ask me first. In instances where I have not done the final check after changes have been made, there is a risk that my work will be unfairly represented and I will be poorly judged by my peers and potential clients. I will include your book in my promotional material after you publish, unless you ask me not to.

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• Now the payment stuff.

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• If you book your space in my diary more than a month before your start date, you may be asked to pay a £100 ($120) deposit to secure your slot.
• A first instalment of 50% (minus the deposit) is payable within two weeks of the start date.
• If you book the Double-Pass Edit package, you will pay 25% of the remaining fee once the line/copy-edit has been delivered to you, the remaining fee is paid after the proofread is delivered.
• If you want to add any work to your brief it will either be charged at £25/hr or a new project fee will be negotiated. It is possible that a new deadline will also have to be agreed.
• The final invoice will be sent to you when your completed work is delivered to you. The balance should be paid within 30 days of receipt. The statutory rate of interest will be applied for each day past the 30 days, unless the late payment is by prior agreement.
• Payment is usually made by direct bank transfer, but Paypal (which is a secure method of payment and allows the use of debit/credit cards) can also be used if absolutely necessary.

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