Copywriting Terms and Conditions
Here are the necessary evils of my copywriting terms. I’ve tried to keep them short and in plain English to avoid misunderstandings and provide clarification if any disputes should arise. In order for me to start working on your project, we need you to confirm that you have read and agree to these terms.
The Contract
The relationship between Brand New Copy and the client will be that of ‘independent contractor’, which means that I am an employee, worker, agent or partner, and will not give the impression that I am. My time will therefore be limited to the project at hand, including any consultation time warranted by the project.
My Pricing Terms
My current copywriting fee is £450 a day. Before each project, I will provide a quote so that you know exactly how much the work will cost. Any changes to the original brief initiated by the client may require us to adjust the cost. The total price of your project will include:
- A free quote
- A maximum of 3 drafts of the project specified in the original brief
- Any minor amendments to your project
- Advice and consultation by email as necessary
Any additional work requested that isn’t covered in the original brief will be quoted separately and added to the original invoice.
The Copywriting Brief
The Brief will be supplied by the client and must clearly outline the project requirements. I suggest that you download, complete and return my briefing form to ensure that I have all the necessary requirements beforehand.
Commencement of Work
Before your project is undertaken, I require a confirmation email, stating:
- You have read and agree to my terms and conditions
- You are authorised to commission the project
- You agree to my fees
Timescale and Deadlines
I will make every effort to ensure your project is delivered on time. In the unlikely event that I cannot meet the agreed deadline, I will let you know as soon as possible. I will not be held liable for any loss or damages to any party as a result of missing a deadline.
Payment Terms for Direct Clients and Agencies
For all new clients, I require a 50% non-refundable deposit of the total fee before commencing work. I then invoice for the remaining 50% at the project half-way point. For larger projects, I will arrange staggered payments, to be paid when we meet project milestones. For projects under £500, I require the project to be paid in full before commencement of work. All invoices are sent electronically, unless agreed otherwise and are payable within 7 days of receipt.
I accept payments by BACS or PayPal but unfortunately I do not accept cheques.
I understand that with agencies, copywriting usually forms part of a bigger project and can often take several months to complete. When working with agencies, I still require a 50% non-refundable deposit to be made before I start work. When the copywriting part of the project is complete, the remaining payment should be paid within 7 days of receiving the invoice, whether the client has signed off on the project or not.
Termination of Copywriting Contract and Pause Clause
If a client fails to respond to communication within 14 days of paying the non-refundable deposit, the project will be terminated automatically. In the event that a client fails to provide feedback as per the project schedule milestones, the project will be considered ‘on hold’ and rescheduled dependent on current workload and availability.
Late Payment Terms
I understand and will exercise my statutory right to interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under the late payment legislation if we are not paid according to agreed credit terms.
The Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act (1988) states that for debts of less than £1000, the penalty is £40, rising to £70 for debts up to £9,999.99 and £100 above that.
Interest is payable at 8 per cent over Bank of England base rate. The penalties and interest now apply to all businesses regardless of size.
International Payment Fees (PayPal and BACS)
International clients are expected to cover any additional currency conversion charges to the service provider (Brand New Copy).
With the Bank of Scotland, payments for over £100 or currency equivalent are charged at £7 each
PayPal fees are currently charged thus:
International payment fee + fully funded payment fee + fixed fee + cross border fee + currency conversion fee.
(Exact amounts are subject to the amount in question and the country of origin of the sender).
Working example:
The client is based in the USA and the project fee is £200 ($257.49 USD).
3.9% International payment fee + 0.5% fully funded payment fee + $0.30 fixed fee + 1.0% cross border fee + 3.0% currency conversion fee = 10.04 + 1.28 + 0.30 + 2.57 + 7.72 = 21.91.
So $257.49 + $21.91 = $279.40 (£217.03).
PayPal’s current cross border and currency conversion fees can be found here.
Please note that international clients may also be subject to their own transaction fees for sending money overseas by PayPal or BACS.
Subcontracted Work
As a copywriting studio, I often work alongside other copywriters. In such cases, all work produced will be under the banner of ‘Brand New Copy’. The studio owner (Jamie Thomson) will be the client point of contact and agree/oversee the scope of the project while acting as editor and proofreader. All work sent to the client will be approved by me.
Intellectual Property Rights
Upon completion of the project and once I have received payment, all copyrights are automatically transferred to the client. I reserve the right to use any extracts of my work for my portfolio. Similarly, if I’ve worked alongside a subcontracted copywriter, they will also have the right to use any extracts of their work on their portfolio and marketing materials unless otherwise agreed beforehand.
Whilst we make every effort not to breach any copyright, you agree to indemnify me against action that may arise as a result of using our services.
Errors and Omissions
I make every effort to ensure that the project is proofread, grammatically accurate and factually referenced where applicable. However, I cannot guarantee that every project is completely free from typographical, grammatical or factual errors.
Indemnity
By using my services, you agree to indemnify me against any claim, including that of a third party, for compensation or damages resulting from the use of our written material or from unsought permissions to use my material.
Although every piece of written content I produce is original, the client accepts full responsibility for checking the authenticity of the project, including research materials and citations supplied and indemnify us of any compensation for loss or damages.
If you have any questions about our copywriting terms and conditions, just ask. Hats off to you for reading this far down, you deserve a coffee break.