Clarity and reassurance

The following terms and conditions are provided so that you and I both have an upfront and honest understanding of what is involved in the process of working together. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me so that I can provide clarity and reassurance.

Contract of editing services

Last updated 14 January 2026

​​1. General overview

  1. These terms and conditions apply to any work done on behalf of the Client (you) by me (Louise Harnby | Crime Fiction & Thriller Editor​).
  2. My pronouns are she/her. I stand against discrimination, prejudice and othering, and I recognize that some people's voices are unheard or ignored because of, for example, their gender identity, race or ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, faith or neurotype. I strive to provide a safe, supportive and respectful environment for every writer who works with me.
  3. I try to reduce my business’s impact on the environment by using renewable energy systems, like solar panels and an air source heat pump.
  4. I will provide editorial services agreed by me and you via email.
  5. My editorial services may include: line editing, copyediting, proofreading, formatting and blurb writing.
  6. Your are under no obligation to offer me work, and I'm under no obligation to accept work offered by you.
  7. The work will be carried out unsupervised at a time and place determined by me, using my own equipment.
  8. The work will be carried out by me alone. I will not subcontract editing projects, or parts of projects, to third parties.
  9. I confirm that I am self-employed, am responsible for my own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and will not claim benefits granted to your employees (if you have any).
  10. I am not VAT-registered.
  11. By signing the booking-agreement form, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions, and that the two of us have entered into a contract of editorial services.

​2. Project terms

  1. All editing work takes place in Microsoft Word, using Track Changes.
  2. You and I will agree, via email, the length of time required to complete the project, as advised by me.
  3. You and I will agree a fee for the project, based on a quotation supplied by me, via email, following my evaluation of the material to be edited and the time frame required to complete the job.
  4. You and I will agree any expenses (e.g. postage) that you will bear in addition to the costs of the editing.
  5. You and I will agree the date by which the material will be delivered by you to me.
  6. You and I will agree the latest date by which I will return the completed project, following my advice to you.
  7. Please note that if, on receipt of the project to be worked on (or at an early stage), it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than I anticipated from the preliminary discussion/brief or from the sample supplied, I may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline, or decline to carry out the work.

​3. Quotations and fees

  1. I will provide you with a quotation for the editorial work following my evaluation of a representative sample of the material, and a discussion with you about what is required.
  2. Once you and I have agreed the full fee, it is non-negotiable unless you extend the word count of the job or request additional services. In this case, a revised quotation and job-completion date will be negotiated. 
  3. You will pay me a fee per 1,000 words in the original document, OR per hour OR an agreed flat fee for the project, as agreed in writing.
  4. Unless otherwise agreed, I will supply you with an invoice immediately upon completion of the proofreading/editing project.
  5. Payment should be received within 14 days for full edits, and within 3 days for booking fees.
  6. Invoices to you will be in pounds sterling.
  7. Payments should usually be made via direct bank transfer. For Clients outside the UK, payments via Stripe can be arranged. Payments from outside the UK may incur bank or Stripe handling charges for me and you.
  8. I am a signatory to the Pay On Time code of practice.
  9. Unless otherwise agreed, the fee I will quote is for one pass of a manuscript. Additional passes are new projects, the terms of which you and I will need to agree separately.

4. Booking fee​

  1. The booking-agreement form is an agreement to the contract of services between me and you.
  2. When you have sent the booking-agreement form at the bottom of this page, I will issue the invoice for the booking fee.
  3. Booking fees are non-refundable.
  4. For a project with a total fee in excess of £500, you will pay a booking fee of £500.
  5. For a project with a total fee of £500 or less, you will pay the full fee up front. This is non-refundable.
  6. By filling in the booking-agreement form, you agree to secure my editing services for a specific and mutually agreed-upon project, at a specific and mutually agreed time.
  7. By filling in the booking-agreement form, you confirm that you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions herein. From thereon, the terms of the cancellation policy (see below) apply.
  8. I will deduct the booking fee from the final invoice. I will send this invoice to you once I've completed the editing work, unless otherwise agreed.
  9. The booking is considered confirmed once the booking fee has been paid by you and received by me.
  10. The booking fee should be paid within 3 days of sending the booking-agreement form to secure the slot in my schedule.

5. Cancellation policy: Terms, fees and project-commencement reminders

A. TERMS
  1. Both you and I have the right to terminate a contract for services at any time if there is a serious breach of its terms.
  2. You are free to cancel a service for any reason by providing me with written notice (including email); I must acknowledge this cancellation in writing (including email) for this to be valid.
  3. I may cancel a service at any time for any reason by providing written notice (including email) to you. In the unlikely event that I cancel a service, I will provide a prorated refund of any overages of fees paid (including the booking fee).
  4. If, in the unlikely event that you are touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation or delay (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), you will contact me to discuss the terms of the cancellation policy. I aim to be fair and helpful at all times.
  5. If I am touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances that cause cancellation (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), I will contact you in writing at the earliest opportunity and do my best to renegotiate the time frame of the project or find an alternative supplier of editing services. The booking fee will be refunded.
​
B. FEES
  1. CANCELLATION DURING THE PROJECT: If you cancel the work during the editing project, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee).
  2. CANCELLATION PRIOR TO PROJECT COMMENCEMENT: If you wish to cancel with less than one month's notice, I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the booking fee). ​If you wish to cancel with more than one month's notice, the booking fee will not be refunded but no other charge will apply.

C. PROJECT-COMMENCEMENT REMINDERS
  1. I will contact you prior to the mutually agreed start date with a reminder that the file is due 24 hours before said start date.
  2. If in the unlikely event that you do not confirm in writing (including email) within one week prior to the mutually agreed start date that you will be supplying the file for editing, the project is deemed to have been cancelled by you and the slot in my schedule will be released.
  3. If, as is likely, you confirm the project, I will ask for the file to be sent to me 24 hours before the start date.

6. Confidentiality

  1. I will keep the nature and content of the editing work confidential and will not make it known to anyone other than you and your contractors without prior written permission.
  2. I will not, under any circumstances, upload your files to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorized to do so, in writing, by you. I do, however, use Dropbox as a cloud storage system. See my Privacy Policy for how your data is protected.
  3. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, you and I may keep on record necessary information (e.g. contact details). Either may view the other's records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.

​7. Copyright

  1. All content delivered to me by you for the editing project is owned by you.
  2. In this respect, you agree to hold me harmless from and against all claims, liabilities and expenses arising out of any potential or actual copyright or trademark misappropriation or infringement claimed against you.
  3. Following your payment of my invoice, the copyright for any content created by me as part of the editing process will become owned by you unless otherwise agreed.

8. Quality assurance

  1. Please read the Why choose Louise Harnby page. This is my declaration of how I define a good-fit service.
  2. As an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), I abide by its Membership Codes.
  3. I commit to a programme of continuing professional development.

9. Legal jurisdiction

  1. This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both you and I agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
  2. The exclusive venue for any arbitration or court proceeding based on or arising out of this Agreement shall be Norfolk, England.

10. Business insurance

  1. I hold professional indemnity insurance, which provides coverage for the editing services I offer. This insurance protects both me and you by ensuring that, in the unlikely event of professional error or omission, appropriate safeguards are in place.

11. Privacy policy and the GDPR

  1. Please read my Privacy Policy, which explains the data I collect, how I use it and store it, and my compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

12. Acknowledgements in published works

  1. There is no requirement for you to mention me in the published work's acknowledgements section. However, you agree that I will have the opportunity to review any such mention prior to publication, or to decline to be mentioned.

13. Use of digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI)

A. TERMS OF USE
  1. To enhance the quality, accuracy, consistency and efficiency of my editing service, I use digital tools that may have AI-assisted technologies running in the background (even if I'm not actively using them).
  2. Except for the purposes of secure storage, backup and recovery (see 13.B.7), I will never upload your text to a third-party site without your express permission.
  3. All outputs are reviewed and refined by me, a qualified human editor, before delivery to ensure quality and contextual accuracy. Software and AI tools are used strictly to support my human editing process and do not replace my human judgement or professional oversight.
  4. I do not use generative AI to draft recasts of your text or make stylistic recommendations on how your book should read.
  5. I do not use open AI systems for client work. This ensures that your materials are never used for language model training and that your privacy and data are fully protected.
  6. I use reputable providers and maintain the confidentiality of your materials. However, by submitting your content for editing, you acknowledge and consent to my use of the digital tools referred to in 14.B in the processing of your materials under my supervision.

​B. DIGITAL TOOLS
The tools I currently use in the editing process are as follows: 
  1. Microsoft Word: Used for text editing and reporting. Hosted locally via a licensed version of Microsoft 365. Copilot runs in the background but I don't use it for editing. Copilot may still transmit small portions of the text in your project (commonly called 'code') to generate suggestions. Any editorial suggestions I add to your project may also be processed in this way. GitHub provides privacy controls to protect this private work. This private code will not be stored or used to improve Copilot unless I have explicitly opted in, which I have not.
  2. Microsoft Excel: Used for creating chapter summaries. Hosted locally via a licensed version of Microsoft 365. Copilot runs in the background but I don't use it for editing. Copilot may still transmit small portions of the text in the project (commonly called 'code') to generate suggestions. GitHub provides privacy controls to protect this private work. The private code will not be stored or used to improve Copilot unless I have explicitly opted in, which I have not.
  3. PerfectIt: Used for consistency checking. A licensed, locally hosted Word add-in. Does not use AI. Runs offline and does not transmit data.
  4. PDF XChange: Used for portable formatting of reports and style sheets. Hosted locally via a licensed version. Does not use AI. Runs offline and does not transmit data.
  5. Various macros: Used for text analysis. Hosted locally. Do not use AI. Run offline and do not transmit data.
  6. Google search: Used for fact-checking. Cloud-based service. Uses multiple AI systems to match queries with relevant results.​
  7. Dropbox: Used for secure file storage, backup and recovery. Cloud-based licensed version. Dropbox is introducing AI features to support search and organization but these are not yet universally available and may be optional add-ons. 

14. Disclaimer

I do my best to provide excellent work, but there are some limits to what I can guarantee. This section explains those limits so we both know what to expect.
  1. Owing to the subjective nature of stylistic editorial work, I can't guarantee that my editing will be a hundred per cent free of 'errors'.
  2. I am not responsible for how you use the files I've edited and returned to you, or for any changes you make to them.
  3. I can't guarantee that an agent or publisher will accept a submission from you following my edits.
  4. I am not responsible for plagiarism in a client’s document.
  5. I am not responsible for files that are lost, damaged or corrupted by your systems or third-party platforms that you ask me to use or that you upload the edited files to.
  6. I am not responsible for missed deadlines caused by a client's delay in sending me their files.
  7. I can't guarantee that I will be able to work with every software/platform or that the Word files I return to you will be compatible with other platforms.
  8. I am not responsible for any changes made to your file by third parties such as publishers or agents after I've edited it.
  9. I am not responsible for delays caused by force majeure (eg internet outages, emergencies and pandemics).

Contract of services:
​Booking agreement

The following agreement is for use only by clients who have already discussed their project requirements and agreed a booking date and fee with me. If you wish to have an initial conversation with me about a project, please refer to the Contact page.
    Your contact details
    Project information
    Format and delivery
    Timeline
    Pricing and payment
    Terms and conditions
    Digital signature
    By signing this form, you confirm that the project details, pricing and timeline accurately reflect what has been discussed, and that you agree to proceed under these terms.

Your style preferences

​If you've filled in and signed the Contract of services form, you can now register any particular style preferences you'd like me to adhere to when editing or proofreading your book.

​I aim to bring clarity and consistency to your book. I use industry-recognized style guides to inform my choices, eg Oxford's New Hart's Rules and The Chicago Manual of Style, both of which offer respected and sensible advice.

​However, you may have particular style preferences that you feel strongly about. Just let me know what they are and I'll abide by them.

​If you want me to decide, or you'd like to have a chat about what I'd recommend, that's fine too. Just let me know!
    Use the box below to register any other particular style preferences you want to draw my attention to (though feel free to leave it blank if you wish). These might include:
    ​
    • Punctuation preferences: e.g.  if you loathe semi-colons with a passion and don't want them anywhere near your book, I'll make sure I use alternative punctuation when editing.
    • Particular tics you're prone to and want me to watch out for: e.g. repetition, wordiness, too much stage direction.
    • Tense preferences: e.g. perhaps the majority of the narrative is in the third-person past (She picked up the phone. It was Jez) but for narrative effect you've elected to present some chapters in the first-person present (I pick up the phone. It's Jez.)​.
    • Anything else you can think of!