Copywriting Ts&Cs

If you’re reading these, then hopefully you’re thinking of working with me. That’s great. But just in case things go wrong (which I’m sure they won’t) I need to have some legal stuff in place. So here it is. I’ve tried to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible.

Before we start working together I’ll need you to confirm that you’re happy with what’s below.

The contract

My relationship with you will be that of ‘independent contractor’. That means I’m not your employee, worker, agent or partner, and I won’t give the impression that I am. I’ll only work on the project you’ve contracted me for (including any consultation time).

Starting work

Before I start I’ll need you to agree that:

  • you’ve read and are happy with these terms and conditions

  • you’re authorised to commission the project I’ll be working on

  • you’ll pay my fees (there’s more on this below).

The brief

You’ll give me a brief at the start of the project which clearly shows what you want from me (I can give you a briefing form to help with this if you’d like).

Deadlines and timescales

I’ll do everything I can to make sure I finish your project on time (and so far, I’ve never missed a deadline). But if for any reason I can’t, I’ll let you know as soon as I can. I’ll also grovel a lot. I won’t be held liable for any loss or damages to anyone that happen because I miss a deadline though. Sorry.

The money stuff

I work an eight-hour day, generally from 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. I might be able to work different hours if you need me to, but we’ll have to agree these before I start. My fee will vary depending on exactly what you want me to do. Before I start your project I can give you a quote so you know exactly how much the work will cost – you’ll need to ask me to do that though. If you make any changes to the original brief I might need to change this. If you don’t ask for a quote then I’ll assume you’re happy for it to take as long as it takes (I’ll of course keep you posted on my progress).

The total price will include:

  • a free quote

  • two drafts of the project shown in the original brief, including a free proofread

  • any small amendments as needed

  • advice and consultation by email.

If you ask for any extra work that isn’t covered in the original brief, I can give you a separate quote for this.

Payment terms

If you’re a new client, I might ask you for a 50 per cent non-refundable deposit of the total fee before I start work (it depends how well I know you). I’ll then invoice you for the rest at the end of the project. For larger projects, I might ask you to arrange staggered payments, which I’ll ask you to pay at agreed points (for example once a month – a girl’s got to eat).

If we’ve worked together before I’ll invoice you at the end of the project, unless we’ve agreed something else. I’ll send you an invoice by email, and you’ll have 30 days to pay it. I only accept payment by BACS.

Late Payments

I’m sure you’ll pay me on time. But just in case you don’t, I’ll (and sorry for the legal language here) exercise my statutory right to interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under late payment legislation. I’ll follow the Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act 1988 when I do this. This says that for debts of less than £1,000 the penalty is £40, which rises to £70 for debts up to £9,999.99, and £100 for anything above that. I’ll also charge you interest of 8 per cent over the Bank of England base rate for late payments.

Cancelling work

Please give me as much notice as you can if you need to cancel a job. If you give me less than 24 hours’ notice I might still have to charge you for at least some of it – how much will depend on the length of the original booking. (I’ll probably let you off if I have another job I can do instead though.)

Intellectual Property rights

Once I’ve finished your project and you’ve paid me for it, all copyrights are automatically transferred to you. Bu I do reserve the right to add extracts of the work to my portfolio (with any sensitive information removed, of course).

While I’ll of course make every effort not to breach any copyright, you agree to indemnify me against any action that might come about as a result of using my services (which basically means you agree that I won’t get sued if that does happen).

What happens if I make a Mistake

I’m what’s known in the trade as a pedant. So I’ll do my absolute best to make sure your words are proofread, grammatically correct and factually accurate. But I’m only human. That means I can’t guarantee every project will be completely free of factual, typographical or grammatical errors.

By using my services, you agree to indemnify me against any claim, including from a third party, for compensation or damages which come about because you’ve used something I’ve written, or from unsought permissions to use it. And although every piece of writing I produce is original, you accept full responsibility for checking its authenticity, including research materials and citations. You indemnify me against any compensation for loss or damages.

That’s it. Well done for getting all the way through.

Got a question?

Feel free to get in touch. And thanks for reading.