Terms, Policies, and Procedures
Hard-Copy Editing

(Go to Electronic Editing Terms)

Please review the following terms before requesting a quote for hard-copy editing services.

Options associated with hard-copy editing can be found on the Hard-Copy Revision form. After you've filled out the hard-copy editing form and sent it along with the manuscript portion to me either by email or postal mail, I'll provide an invoice and one-page Client Agreement. Invoices for less than $201.00 are required to be paid in full, up front, regardless of when the editing job is scheduled. For invoices of $201.00 or more, 70% of the balance or $200.00 is required up front (whichever is greater), and the remaining balance within 3 days of receipt of the mailed edited manuscript by the client. I reserve the right to decline a proposed project if I feel it is not well suited to me. You are also under no obligation to accept any offer. [See FAQ for info about AI-generated content]

IMPORTANT NOTE: Sending any invoice payment indicates your agreement to all terms detailed in the Client Agreement. So, please read it carefully and contact me before paying if you have any concerns.

Often, projects will need to be scheduled weeks in advance. Contacting me as soon as possible is best, so that I can schedule time for your manuscript and discuss deadlines and expectations. I don't offer rush jobs for hard-copy editing due to the added time required for shipping. Once your initial payment is received, my time (no more, no less) is reserved for editing as agreed.

Accepted payment methods include debit, credit, PayPal and Square. All payments are processed securely through PayPal or Square (account not required to pay invoices). I will send an invoice that includes payment and delivery details, as well as an offer expiration date.

When submitted electronically, all unedited manuscripts need to be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). When submitted on paper by mail, print unedited manuscript on standard letter size paper (8 1/2 x 11 inches), double space, use one-inch margins, and use Times New Roman font size 12.

If you'd like me to sign an NDA before you ship the manuscript to me, feel free to send me one in an email. I'd be happy to print out, sign, and mail it to you.

All content submitted must be the author’s original content; non-original material must be credited to original author and permissions received where necessary. AI-GENERATED must be pre-approved and $150 will be added to the quote, regardless of length.

If I have necessary questions regarding clarification of ideas or intent throughout the editing process, based on your preference indicated ahead of time, I’ll either: 1) Email/mail a document to you listing text portions that require clarification along with my questions; please respond to my specific questions as thoroughly as possible. OR 2) Note that the text needs clarification and reasons why, but nothing further.

Once I’ve completed editing of the printed manuscript, I'll ship it to your postal mailing address and email the tracking number to you. Before shipping it, I'll scan your edited printed manuscript and keep the images as a temporary backup UNLESS you opted out of scanning on the form. If you also choose to have me send those images to you, I'll send them either by email in a compressed zip file, or on a flash drive to your postal address. If you opt out of scanning, then you accept any risk and agree to not hold me liable if either the edited or unedited printed manuscripts are lost in shipment.

Once you receive the edited printed manuscript, then you will have complete control over which revisions to make to your own original electronic file or a new typed document. Often, I will suggest rewriting or possibly adding new content. You are not obligated to follow my suggestions, but this is part of the service I provide. If you’d like further revisions, or have new content you want edited, this will be considered an additional job and subject to availability in my schedule. I would send you a new invoice, and the quote will be based only on the word count of the content to be revised or added. The minimum invoice is $50 plus printing, scanning (optional), and mailing.

If you request a refund before I start editing, and within seven days of payment, then I will be happy to refund your full deposit within seven days of receiving your request. If you request a refund before I start editing, but 8 to 28 days since payment, then I will provide a 50% refund. If you request a refund before I start editing, but 29 days or more since payment, your request will be denied. I also do not grant refunds once I’ve already begun editing. If your refund request is denied per conditions listed above, I will be happy to provide the editing paid for at a later date, subject to schedule availability, either for the material already submitted or new material that I approve (same word count).

Extensive AI-generated content that was not pre-approved but discovered after purchase will trigger an order cancellation and refund minus a $50 inconvenience fee.

Please realize that I cannot guarantee successful or lucrative book publication. I DO guarantee that I will provide dedicated and accurate editing services along with honest and specific feedback as promised. My goal is to suggest significant improvements and enhancements of your manuscript in preparation for publishing, while protecting your ideas, intent and tone.

One week after you've received the complete edited printed manuscript, all scanned images that I've temporarily stored for backup will be deleted.

Your work will never be shared with or distributed to anyone, period, without your express permission. Authors retain full copyright protection of original content at all times, and gain copyright protection of content edited and delivered by karolyneditsbooks.com upon receipt of payment. The only exception to this is AI-generated content which is not copyrightable. Likewise, I will only use your content for the purpose of providing editing and proofreading services. In addition, your personal details, including contact information, email address, postal address, and personal communications will be kept private and never shared, sold, or rented at any time. The only exception to this rule would be in the unlikely event of nonpayment for services rendered or reversal of charges, in which case legal recourse would require the sharing of said information with the appropriate government authorities.

I communicate with non-local clients mainly via email. Anyone is welcome to contact me via my website form. For real-time conversations, clients can message me through LinkedIn (link at the bottom of each page of this site). I do not conduct business via video chat or Zoom.

I often add published book covers to my online portfolio to display many of the finished books that I've worked on. Editing clients and newsletter subscribers will automatically receive occasional email updates about my services or scheduling. ***If you choose to request exclusion from either, please notify me either through this site's contact form, by sending me a dated, signed letter, or by replying directly to one of my emails.

After the job is complete, I may ask if you’d like to write a testimonial about my services. This is completely optional. If you choose to do so, then it will be posted on my website, along with your name (first name only or both, whichever you prefer) and country.

Alternative contact method for clients and quote requestors

I reserve the right to update these Terms periodically. Updated terms are not retroactive.
Last updated: November 17, 2024