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
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
(919) 423-9118
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)