The following contract information is provided to ensure you know what to expect when you choose to work with Justice Serves Proofreading. I value open and honest communication—please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Please also take a moment to review the Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement.
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1). Project Overview and Terms
2). Payment, Scheduling Deposit and Late Fees
3). Renegotiation Policy and Fees
4). Cancellation Policy and Fees
5). Copyright
6). Privacy Policy Information
7). Quality Assurance and Scope of Services
8). Legal Jurisdiction
9). Acknowledgement in Publication
1). Project Overview and Terms
a). Editor and Client will discuss and agree upon the terms of the project in writing (including email). Terms include: author, working title, Project length and description, Project type (i.e. line editing, proofreading, etc.), method of work (i.e. Microsoft Track Changes, PDF markup, etc.).
b). Editor and Client will discuss and agree upon Project start and end dates.
c). After a sample evaluation, Editor and Client will discuss and agree upon total Project cost. This total cost is non-negotiable by either Client or Editor unless otherwise discussed and agreed upon. See Renegotiation Policy and Fees.
(c.1) Please note: If, upon receipt of Project, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than Editor anticipated from the sample evaluation, Editor reserves the right to renegotiate the contract or decline the Project. See Renegotiation Policy and Fees.
d). Client is responsible for sending Editor all Project materials at least 24 hours prior to the Project start date listed above.
(d.1) Editor will send Client a courtesy reminder in writing (including email) at least one week prior to start date (when applicable—otherwise as early as possible).
(d.2) If the Client does not provide all Project materials at least 24 hours prior to agreed-upon start date, the Project is considered cancelled by the Client. See Cancellation Policy and Fees.
2). Payment, Scheduling Deposit and Late Fees
Note: all estimates and final costs are in United States Dollars (USD).
a). Client agrees to pay Editor total Project cost listed in Project Terms upon receipt of completed Project.
(a.1) Editor will send Client a final invoice (less deposit fee) with submission of completed Project.
(a.2) Client agrees to make any final payment to Editor via PayPal (jenna@justiceserves.com) within 14 days of receiving the completed Project.
b). Client agrees to pay Editor a fixed deposit of $500 to reserve Project scheduling. Full deposit will be subtracted from the final invoice sent to Client by Editor. If total Project cost is less than $500, Client agrees to pay the full Project cost in lieu of a deposit.
(b.1) Deposit payment must be made via PayPal (jenna@justiceserves.com) at least two weeks prior to Project start date listed in Section 1: Project Overview unless a different date is agreed upon in writing (including email). If deposit payment is not received by the agreed upon date, Editor will consider the Project cancelled by Client. See Cancellation Policy and Fees.
c). If full payment is not received within 30 days of receipt of final invoice, a late fee will be assessed on the remaining balance and added to each subsequent invoice.
(c.1) Any payment made one month or more after the due date is subject to 5% compound interest per month for the full unpaid amount.
(c.2) Furthermore, the Editor may use whatever means necessary under the law to obtain payment from Client. Client is responsible for any and all fees or costs (legal or otherwise) incurred by the Editor to obtain payment in this manner.
3). Renegotiation Policy and Fees
a). Both Client and Editor understand that the total Project cost is subject to reasonable adjustments if necessary, as discussed and agreed upon in writing (including email) by both parties.
(a.1) If Client extends word count or requests additional services, Editor reserves the right to renegotiate total Project cost.
(a.2) If Editor feels that the sample provided by Client was not representative of the scope of the actual work required for the remainder of the Project, Editor reserves the right to renegotiate the total Project cost and/or Project end date or decline to continue with the Project altogether.
4). Cancellation Policy and Fees
a). Both Client and Editor reserve the right to terminate this contract at any time if there is a serious breach of the terms herein.
b). In the event of a cancellation by either the Client or the Editor, the Editor will immediately delete any and all material related to the Project, including but not limited to any materials sent to the Editor by the Client and any work Editor has completed up to this point.
c). Cancellation by Client:
(c.1) Client is free to cancel Project for any reason by providing written notice (including email). Editor must acknowledge cancellation in writing (including email) for the cancellation to be valid.
(c.2) BEFORE Project start date:
(c.2.a) If Client cancels the Project for any reason two weeks or more before Project start date listed in Section 1: Project Overview, no payment is required. If deposit was already paid, Editor will return full deposit fee to Client within 3 days of the cancellation.
(c.2.b) If Client cancels the Project for any reason less than two weeks before Project start date listed in Section 1: Project Overview, Editor retains the deposit fee. No other charges will apply.
(c.3) AFTER Project start date:
(c.3.a). If Client cancels the Project for any reason after Project start date listed in Section 1: Project Overview, Editor reserves the right to invoice Client for 100% of the total Project cost (less the deposit fee) listed in Section 2: Project Evaluation and Estimate.
(c.4) If Client is experiencing extenuating circumstances (i.e. crisis, bereavement, illness) that require Project cancellation or renegotiation, Client should contact Editor as soon as possible to discuss the terms of the cancellation and renegotiation policies.
d). Cancellation by Editor:
(d.1) Editor may cancel Project at any time for any reason by providing written notice (including email) to Client. If this unlikely event occurs, Client will be refunded a prorated amount of any overages of fees paid (including the deposit payment).
(d.2) If Editor is experiencing extenuating circumstances (i.e. crisis, bereavement, illness) that require Project cancellation or renegotiation, Editor will inform Client in writing as soon as possible. Editor will try to renegotiate Project start and end dates (and all related payments) with Client, if possible. If renegotiation is not possible, Editor will cancel the Project and client will be refunded the deposit payment.
5). Copyright
a). All information and materials provided to the Editor by the Client for the Project are owned by the Client.
b). As such, the Client agrees to hold the Editor harmless from and against all claims, liabilities, and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark infringement or misappropriation claimed against them.
c). Following payment of the invoice, any content created by the Editor as part of the Project will become the copyright of the Client unless otherwise agreed upon in writing (including email).
6). Privacy Policy Information
a). As per the Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement, the Editor will not share any proprietary information provided by the Client to third parties; however:
(a.1) The Editor may use an unshared, password-protected Dropbox account for cloud storage of Project materials, accessed on a password-protected computer. Information regarding Dropbox’s privacy policy can be found on its website at www.dropbox.com/privacy2018.
(a.2) All transactions completed through PayPal are subject to PayPal’s privacy policy, which can be found at www.paypal.com/va/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.
7). Quality Assurance and Scope of Services
a). Editor strives to provide thorough editing, proofreading, evaluation and other manuscript preparation services. Editor does not promise or presume any definitive expertise in the subject of the Project the Client submits to the Editor for any services. Any revisions proposed by the Editor are to be considered as recommendations only.
8). Legal Jurisdiction
a). This agreement is subject to the laws of the state of Oregon, United States. Both Client and Editor agree to submit to the jurisdiction of Oregon state courts.
b). The exclusive venue for any court proceeding or arbitration based on or arising out of this agreement shall be within Lane County, Oregon, United States.
9). Acknowledgement in Publication
a). Client is not required to mention Editor in the publication’s acknowledgement section. Client agrees, however, to give Editor the opportunity to review any mention prior to publication, or to decline to be mentioned.