The small print
I wouldn't be legitimate if I didn’t provide you with the terms of my copywriting and editing services. Hopefully, they’re short and easy to digest, written in plain English, and eliminate misunderstandings. They should also provide clarification in the unfortunate event a dispute arises.
Please confirm you’ve read and agreed to these terms before we start working together.
The Contract
The relationship between myself – Jodi Nicholls, proprietor of At Your Service – and the client will be that of an ‘independent contractor’. This means that I am not the client’s employee, worker, agent or partner, and I will not give the impression that I am. Our time will therefore be limited to the project at hand, including any consultation time warranted by the project.
Pricing Terms
My current copywriting and editing fees are £250 per day or £35 per hour. Before each project, I will provide a quote so you know exactly how much the work will cost. Any changes to the original brief initiated by the client may require a cost adjustment. The total price of your project will include:
A free quote
A maximum of 3 revisions to the project specified in the original brief upon the first submission
Advice and consultation by email as necessary
Any requests for additional work that is not covered in the original brief will be quoted separately and added to the original invoice.
The Brief
The Brief will be supplied by the client and must clearly outline the project requirements before the work commences.
Commencement of Work
Before I begin the project, I require an email confirmation stating that you:
Have read and agreed to my terms and conditions
Are authorised to commission the project
Agree to my fees (as quoted)
Timescale and Deadlines
I will make every effort to ensure your project is delivered on time. In the unlikely event I cannot meet the agreed deadline, I will let you know as soon as possible. I will not be held liable for any loss or damages to any party as a result of missing a deadline. I will, however, refund you 10% of the final invoice for every 24-hours that passes after the deadline has passed.
Payment Terms for Direct Clients and Agencies
For new clients, I require a 20% non-refundable deposit of the total fee before commencing the work. I will then invoice the remaining 80% once the project has concluded. For larger projects, I will arrange staggered payments, which are to be paid when I meet project milestones. All invoices are sent electronically, unless agreed otherwise, and are payable within 7 days of receipt.
I accept payments by BACS or PayPal, but unfortunately do not accept cheques.
I understand that with agencies, copywriting usually forms part of a bigger project and can often take several months to complete. However, when working with agencies, I still require a 20% non-refundable deposit to be made before we start work. When the copywriting part of the project is complete, the remaining payment should be paid within 7 days of receiving the invoice, whether the client has signed off on the project or not.
Termination of Copywriting Contract and Pause Clause
If a client fails to respond to communication within 14 days of paying the non-refundable deposit, the project will be terminated automatically. In the event that a client fails to provide feedback as per the project schedule milestones, the project will be considered ‘on hold’ and rescheduled dependent on my current workload and availability.
Late Payment Terms
I understand and will exercise my statutory right to interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under the late payment legislation if I am not paid according to our agreed credit terms.
The Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act (1988) states that for debts of less than £1000, the penalty is £40, rising to £70 for debts up to £9,999.99 and £100 above that.
Interest is payable at 8% over the Bank of England base rate. The penalties and interest now apply to all businesses, regardless of size.
International Payment Fees (PayPal and BACS)
International clients are expected to cover any additional currency conversion charges to the service provider (At Your Service).
With the Bank of Scotland, payments for over £100 or currency equivalent are charged at £7 each.
PayPal fees are currently charged thus:
International payment fee + fully funded payment fee + fixed fee + cross border fee + currency conversion fee.
(Exact amounts are subject to the amount in question and the country of origin of the sender).
Working example:
The client is based in the USA and the project fee is £200 ($257.49 USD).
3.9% International payment fee + 0.5% fully funded payment fee + £0.30 fixed fee + 1.0% cross border fee + 3.0% currency conversion fee = 10.04 + 1.28 + 0.30 + 2.57 + 7.72 = 21.91.
So $257.49 + $21.91 = $279.40 (£217.03).
PayPal’s current cross border and currency conversion fees can be found here.
Please note that international clients may also be subject to their own transaction fees for sending money overseas by PayPal or BACS.
Intellectual Property Rights
Upon completion of the project – and once I have received payment – all copyrights are automatically transferred to the client. I reserve the right to use any extracts of our work for my portfolio and marketing materials – unless otherwise agreed beforehand.
Whilst I make every effort not to breach any copyright, you agree to indemnify me against action that may arise as a result of using my services.
Errors and Omissions
I make every effort to ensure the project is proofread, grammatically accurate, and factually referenced where applicable. However, I cannot guarantee that every project is completely free from typographical, grammatical or factual errors.
Indemnity
By using my services, you agree to indemnify me against any claim, including that of a third party, for compensation or damages resulting from the use of my written material or from unsought permissions to use my material.
Although every piece of written content I produce is original, the client accepts full responsibility for checking the authenticity of the project – including research materials and citations supplied – and indemnify me of any compensation for loss or damages.
If you have any questions about my copywriting or editing terms and conditions, please just ask. If you’ve made it this far, I understand the change in tone was sudden, so thank you for getting through it!