Elliott Editorial Online

 

Letter of Agreement

 

For private clients (i.e., those not affiliated with publishers or presses), Elliott Editorial Online requires a “Letter of Agreement” (or contract) to be signed by the client and the managing editor so that we both know exactly what is expected of us regarding the editing of a manuscript. A sample of a Letter of Agreement is given below:

 

Lee Titus Elliott

Elliott Editorial Online

Your editor of choice since 1991™

3208 Rolesville Road

Wendell, NC 27591-9759

Telephone: (919) 752-6158

Cell: (919) 332-2629

Fax: (888) 416-6316

http://www.elliotteditorial.com

managingeditor@elliotteditorial.com or leetituselliott@gmail.com 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/leetituselliott

https://twitter.com/leetituselliott

 

Carl Linke

705 Greenwood Road

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

(919) 423-9118

cel60224@hotmail.com

 

Dear Carl:

 

In accordance with our mutual interest in providing a contract (or “Letter of Agreement”), I agree to copyedit your novel HAINT BLUE. (My rate for copyediting, as given on my Web site, is $25.00 per hour.) You asked that I perform a light copyediting of your manuscript, which involves the following:

 

1. correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, and word usage while preserving the meaning and voice of the original text

 

2. checking for or imposing a consistent style and format through the use of a style sheet tailored to your novel

 

3. reading for overall clarity and sense on behalf of the prospective audience

 

4. querying you about apparent errors and inconsistencies

 

5. noting permissions needed to publish copyrighted material

 

6. using Microsoft Word’s track changes and comments functions for the copyediting process

 

7. preparing the edited manuscript for the next stage of the publishing process (i.e., submission to the publisher)

 

I agree to perform the tasks listed above.

 

We agree that the time estimate for copyediting your manuscript would range from 30 to 40 hours.

 

We agree that the cost estimate for copyediting your manuscript would range from at least $800 to no more than $1,000.

 

We agree that I will keep in touch with you concerning the number of hours I will be spending on the manuscript and that we will confer periodically by e-mail, telephone, and/or in person to assess the progress of my copyediting and to make any changes in the process that either of us would think necessary.

 

We agree that I will invoice you before the beginning of the project, approximately halfway through the project, and at the end of the project. The first invoice would be $300.00; the second $300; and the third an amount between $200 and $400, depending on the time it took for me to copyedit your entire novel. (NOTE: Please let me know, Carl, if this payment arrangement is OK with you. It is a standard practice among freelancers.)

 

Since I am not working on another editing project, I will complete the light copyediting of your novel within 30 to 40 hours after I receive it—or within five to eight working days (Monday–Friday). So if I start the editing process on April 8, I should by finished with it on or before April 19, 2010.

 

If you should decide after the job is completed that you would like the manuscript to undergo a second stage of editing, that work would be the subject of a separate agreement.

 

If the arrangement detailed in this Letter of Agreement is acceptable to you, please sign below and keep this copy for yourself. (If you agree, your typed “signature” will be sufficient.) (I will also keep a copy of the agreement—along with both of our signatures.)

 

I look forward to working with you on your manuscript! As I wrote in an earlier e-mail, you have a flair for characterization and dialogue, and your book has the potential not only for publication but also for a wide readership.

 

Sincerely,

 

Lee Titus Elliott

 

Understood and Agreed:

 

Carl E. Linke

 

(Carl Linke)

 

4/5/2010

(Date)