Fiction Editorial Services Terms & Conditions and Contact Form

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Please read the terms of service to the right, then send a brief description of your project and a file by filling out the form below. I’ll provide you with a sample edit of 1,000 words and a PDF contract that includes the total charge based on the service requested and my estimation of the work level.

Filling out this form will be considered agreement to the terms and conditions located to the right. Be sure to read them carefully.

Information marked with an asterisk is required.

    *Your Name

    *Your Email

    *Your Mailing Address

    Your Website Address (to get a sense of your "brand")

    *Editorial Service Type Desired

    *US or UK English

    *Title of this Project

    *Genre of this Project

    *Is there a complete draft?

    *What steps have you taken to polish your project so far?

    writing classesworkshopseditorswriting conferencesbeta readersfeedback from a writing groupself-editingothernothing

    If "other," what?

    *Current Word Count

    Estimated Final Word Count

    *Publication Goal for This Project

    Have you been published before? If so, what have you published?

    What is your overall goal for your writing career? Where would you like to be in five years? Ten?

    *How familiar are you with MS Word's track changes features?

    *Attach your file:

    (.doc and .docx only)

    Privacy Policy

    Your information will not be shared with any other organizations or individuals outside of W. H. Horner Editorial & Design and will be used only to provide you with the services requested.

    Disclaimers

    I cannot guarantee that my services will result in your work’s being published. Acquisitions are made based on the personal tastes of editors and upon their knowledge of the market, which is ever-shifting. I cannot guarantee that my services will result in your work being a self-published best seller.

    One editorial pass will not always catch all errors or fix all problems. Sometimes the editorial process can even create more errors as words are shifted around and sentences are rewritten. It often requires several editorial passes to get a manuscript ready for publication.

    1. Services:

    The Editor agrees to provide the following services based on the level of editing desired:

    Developmental Editing is focused on genre considerations, world building, plot and story structure, use of scenes, character, theme, and overall tone of the work.

    Substantive / Line Editing seeks to achieve clarity of subject, logic, and consistency. Imagery, point of view, characterization, and dialogue are all considered. Suggestions for rewriting to improve readability and emotional impact are included. Opportunities to draw the reader more deeply into your story will be pointed out, and suggestions will often be included.

    Copyediting identifies and corrects typographical and punctuation errors, misspellings (or word-choice errors), and formatting inconsistencies.

    All critiques and edits will be provided electronically in an MS Word document with changes tracked and comments embedded. A PDF viewable with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader will also be provided.

    2. Payment:

    For developmental editing or other editorial projects under $300.00, the total fee is due upfront after I send the sample edit and total bill.

    For projects other than developmental editing or projects that start at $300.00, the first ½ of the total charge for the job is due upfront after I send the sample edit and total bill. The final ½ of the total charge for the job is due upon receipt of the first half of the critique.

    Payment can be made with a check or money order (get a 1.25% discount) or with a major credit card or electronic funds transfer through PayPal.

    3. Termination:

    This agreement may be terminated by either party in the event of material change of circumstance, with notice sent to the other party via email.

    In the event of termination, the Client shall still owe the Editor for all work completed at the time of initial notice. If termination occurs before the Editor has completed editing the current selection of the manuscript, the amount of the fee, proportionate to the amount of work remaining, will be returned to the Client.

    4. Indemnity:

    Editing a work of fiction is a highly subjective task. The Editor will make his best efforts to advise the Client and suggest changes to improve the Manuscript. No changes or edits are binding on the Client, who may choose to disregard the Editor’s advice.

    The Editor does not guarantee that the services will result in publication of the manuscript. Acquisitions are made based on the personal tastes of publishers and their editors and upon their perceived knowledge of the market, which is ever-shifting.

    The Editor does not guarantee that the services will result in a completely error-free Manuscript. One editorial pass may not catch all errors or fix all problems. Sometimes the editorial process can create more errors as words are shifted around and sentences are rewritten.

    The Editor is not providing official legal copyright or trademark advice. While the Editor will make every effort to bring questionable material to the attention of the Client, the Client agrees to indemnify and save harmless the Editor from any and all claims or demands, including legal fees, arising out of any alleged libel or copyright infringement committed by the Client in the creation of the Manuscript.

    The Client acknowledges and agrees that W. H. Horner Editorial & Design, W. H. Horner, and Fantasist Enterprises, their subsidiaries, clients, agents, artists, writers, representatives, or licensees may now or in the future be working on projects that contain concepts, ideas, and characters that are similar to those found in the Manuscript. Any similarity between materials in the Manuscript and any materials developed in the past or future by W. H. Horner Editorial & Design, W. H. Horner, and Fantasist Enterprises, their subsidiaries, clients, agents, artists, writers, representatives, or licensees shall be coincidental. The Client shall have no rights whatsoever in or to, nor will the Client make any claim against materials developed in the past or future by W. H. Horner Editorial & Design, W. H. Horner, and Fantasist Enterprises, their subsidiaries, clients, agents, artists, writers, representatives, or licensees notwithstanding any similarity to the Manuscript.

    5. Applicable Law

    Regardless of the place of its physical execution, this Agreement shall be interpreted, construed and governed in all respects by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA.

    6. Modification and Waiver:

    This Agreement may not be modified or altered except by a written instrument signed by the parties to be charged. No waiver of any term or condition of this Agreement, or of any breach of this Agreement or any portion thereof, shall be deemed a waiver of any other term, condition or breach of this Agreement or any portion thereof.

    7. Total Agreement:

    The Client acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement supersedes and replaces all other communications between the Client and the Editor, and it represents the complete and entire agreement between the Client and the Editor.

    8. Signatures:

    Filling out the form to the left shall constitute an electronic signature.