Terms and Conditions

Contract of editing services

Last updated 17 June 2026

1. General overview

1. These terms and conditions relate to any work done on behalf of you (the Client) by me/I (Mel Parks - Editor at HoneyLeaf Writing).

2. My pronouns are she/her. I stand against discrimination, prejudice and othering. I recognise that some people’s voices are unheard or ignored because of, for example, their gender identity, race or ethnicity, age, sexuality, faith or neurotype. I strive to provide a safe, supportive and respectful environment for every writer who works with me.

3. I will provide editorial services agreed by me and you via email. All emails between me and you will form part of this agreement.

4. My editorial services may include: developmental editing, manuscript assessments, line editing, copyediting, proof-editing, proofreading, formatting, layout. I may also include coaching and mentoring support.

5. You are under no obligation to offer me work, and I am under no obligation to accept work offered by you.

6. I am self-employed and responsible for my own income tax and National Insurance contributions.

7. All work will be carried out unsupervised by me alone at a time and place determined by me, using my own equipment.

8. I am not VAT registered.

9. An email agreement for me to proceed with the project acknowledges that you have read and agreed these terms and conditions and the subsequent service agreement.

2. Project terms

1. All editing work takes place in Microsoft Word, using Track Changes. Queries will be done using the Comments feature.

2. You and I will agree, via email, the estimated length of time required to complete the project with milestones, 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. I will carry out a sample edit as part of this process.

4. You and I will agree the latest date by which I will return the completed project, following my advice to you.

5. If, at an early stage, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than I anticipated from the preliminary discussion/brief or from sample supplied, I may renegotiate the fee and/or 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 require a deposit payment of 30% of the project fee up front. I will require the balance once the editing project is completed.

5. Payment should be received within 14 days for balances and within 3 days for deposit payments.

6. The deposit payment counts as a booking fee and once received, I can then secure the slot in my work schedule.

7. I will supply you with an invoice for the deposit and then for the balance, which will be in pounds sterling.

8. Payments should usually be made via bank transfer. For clients outside the UK, payments via Stripe can be made. Payments from outside the UK may incur bank or Stripe handling charges for me and you.

9. Unless otherwise agreed, the fee I will quote is for one pass of a manuscript. I will outline any additional charges for further work.

4. Cancellation policy

1. Both you and I have the right to cancel the service agreement at any time.

2. If you need to cancel, then you will provide me with notice by email and I will acknowledge this for it to be valid.

3. If you cancel the service agreement once I have begun work, then I reserve the right to invoice for 100% of the agreed fee (less the deposit payment - 30%).

4. If I need to cancel, then I will be in touch as soon as possible. I will offer you a refund of the deposit payment or any other fees already paid.

5. Confidentiality

1. I will keep the project confidential.

2. I will not upload your files to external websites or send them to anyone else.

3. I will keep records of the project, but delete final draft manuscripts after six years.

6. Copyright

1. All editing work carried out for the project together with the resulting manuscript and print-ready PDF is owned by you.

7. Quality Assurance

1. I am an entry level member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders (CIEP) and abide by the General Code of Conduct and Professional Practice Code.

2. I am committed to continuing professional development.

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

1. I do not use open AI systems for client work without express permission.

2. I do not use generative AI to make stylistic recommendations.

3. I will not upload any of your work to AI systems.

4. I use Microsoft Word. Copilot runs in the background but I do not use it for editing.

5. I use Notion for style notes, chapter summaries and consistency checklists. I have AI permanently switched off in Notion.

6. I use Google Search for fact checking. Google Search uses AI systems. If I consider a fact needs checking, I will carry out a quick search, then if necessary, raise a query in Word Comments for you to check. All responsibility to verify facts lies with you.

9. Acknowledgements

1. You are not required to include me in the acknowledgements of any published book resulting from the project. However, if you do decide to include me, then I will get a chance to review this before publication or decline to be mentioned.

10. Disclaimer

1. I will deliver a document which is complete to the best of my efforts, but due to the subjective nature of human editing as well as human fallibility, I can’t guarantee that the project will be 100% free of errors.

2. I am not responsible for how you use the project files once you have finished with them.

3. I cannot guarantee that the project will be published in any way.

4. The final decision about whether to accept my amendments to the project or act on my queries in Comments is up to you. If you decide not to accept my amendments, this does not entitle you to a refund or partial refund.

5. I am not responsible for plagiarism in the project.