Terms and Conditions

The following clauses on this page will also be present in your project contract with Rooted in Writing, which both parties will sign at the start of each new project.
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  • Service Parameters
  • Non-Disclosure Agreement
  • Payment Terms
  • Release of Liability

Service Parameters

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Language Tools
All editorial services use Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature to show authors what we have adjusted during our revisions. We also attach a clean document with all changes accepted. When returning additional revisions to the editors, please use Track Changes to keep us informed with the manuscript’s evolution. Developmental and line edits provide authors with a complimentary book map of the novel’s overall structure to assist in dissecting narrative themes and progression. For all grammar-related edits, we use the Chicago Manual of Style. 17th edition unless otherwise requested by the author.  Spelling and group phrase punctuation is referenced using Meriam-Webster online. If you ever have a question on the grammar rule or subjective call used to make a certain edit, please ask your editor.
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The author MUST be able to work in Microsoft Word for our editing projects.
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Project Timeline

The manuscript will undergo its first editorial service starting on the agreed-upon start date found in the client contract and will conclude at the agreed-upon deadline by 7 p.m. CST. The manuscript turnaround promise is based on the book’s original word count and the estimated complexity of the work involved. If, upon review, the job appears to require more time to complete, your editor will contact you immediately so that you can reevaluate the project’s requirements and deadline. All editorial services are formally concluded with a Quality Agreement Form to ensure that you have reviewed and are satisfied with the final product.
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Advanced Booking

All editing services booked more than 3 months in advance must pay a holding deposit to reserve their slot in our editorial calendar. Projects totaling under $2,000 must pay 25 percent deposit; projects totaling over $2,000 must pay a 10 percent deposit. The booking deposit is nonrefundable should an author choose to no longer engage in our services between the signing of this contract and the official start date of the project.
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Multiple Services

If you’ve signed up for multiple services, the next service will begin as soon as we receive confirmation from you that the first service is completed to your satisfaction via the Quality Agreement Form. For content-related services, you have 90 days to complete the revisions and return the manuscript to the editor for its next round of editorial services. If you do not complete your revisions within 90 days, the timeline for your next editorial service may be adjusted. If you return your revisions 6 months past the start date of our first editorial service, the prices of subsequent services are subject to potential adjustments.
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Office Hours
Rooted in Writing’s official office hours are Mondays to Thursdays, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. CST, and Fridays 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. CST.  We do not respond to emails or calls outside of these hours unless directly before a previously scheduled after-hours consultation.

Non-disclosure Agreement

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Confidentiality is the utmost importance for our projects together.
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This agreement is made between all clients who contract with AMBER HELT, furthermore referred to as AUTHOR, and ROOTED IN WRITING LLC and the proofreaders and editors who are contracted to provide services for Rooted in Writing, furthermore referred to as CONTRACTED.
 
The AUTHOR will disclose the contents of their book to Rooted in Writing for the duration of their editorial contract, during which time the CONTRACTED will have access to the AUTHOR’S original intellectual property prior to public release. The CONTRACTED agrees that the CONTRACTED will protect the confidential material and information which may be disclosed between the AUTHOR and the CONTRACTED. Therefore, the parties agree as follows:
 
  • The CONTRACTED agrees and confirms that any and all pages submitted to them by the AUTHOR is their own rightful intellectual property and copyrighted material. The submission of material for reading and reviewing privileges made exclusively under this agreement is in no way to be represented as purchased and/or bought property.
  • The CONTRACTED agrees that under no circumstances will they redistribute, copy (either electronically or physically), share, or make public any material in any faction of size or quantity to any third party outside of this Agreement unless given written permission from the AUTHOR. The CONTRACTED understands that this includes but is not limited to piracy and duplicating the manuscript in any form.
  • The CONTRACTED agrees to uphold this covenant until such time that a legally purchased or ‘gifted’ copy of the final published material has been received. 
  • The CONTRACTED agrees that they will receive emails and messages from the AUTHOR. The CONTRACTED will be expected to thoroughly read the documents, make any suggestions and/or editing, as they deem necessary. The AUTHOR has the final say and will solely use the CONTRACTED’S input as the AUTHOR sees fit. The CONTRACTED will get rightful acknowledgments from the AUTHOR but is in no way, shape, or form entitled to any royalties made after publication.
I, the CONTRACTED, agree to the above NDA, which will remain valid indefinitely.
Last updated: July 31, 2023.
This NDA is present in all of our service contracts for your records. Otherwise, let this public NDA be accepted as if signed.

Payment Terms

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Accepted Payment Methods

Rooted in Writing accepts payment through debit or credit cards and eChecks via the Author Portal. If you need to pay using a different method, please contact Rooted in Writing to discuss additional options.
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Invoice Scheduling

At the start of a project, the author will receive an invoice for the total costs associated with that project. Fifty percent of the total invoice is due at the start of the first month the project begins and the second half of the total is due at the start of the subsequent month. If there are additional costs associated with the project (hourly work, increased word count, additional services, etc.), those will be reconciled with a second invoice at the beginning of the third month.

The edited materials will not be returned to the author until the invoice has been paid in full. Payment schedules may change due to unexpected delays in the project’s progress such as hold periods or additional work needed.
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Additional Costs & Refunds

Rooted in Writing does not foresee any other expenses associated with this project, and your editor will inform you right away if she encounters any. Any services you ask of your editor during the project that is outside the project’s parameters will be a separate invoice. For content edits, an additional evaluation after the project has been completed will be charged at $5 per thousand words. Grammar edits will provide one round of author-initiated updates to the manuscript’s wording after the final files have been delivered and prior to the Quality Agreement being signed. While we are happy to reevaluate any service we provide for you to ensure your full understanding and satisfaction, we do not offer refunds or complimentary second rounds of edits for the services we provide.
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Advanced Booking

All editing services booked more than 3 months in advance must pay a holding deposit to reserve their slot in our editorial calendar. Projects totaling under $2,000 must pay 25 percent deposit; projects totaling over $2,000 must pay a 10 percent deposit. The booking deposit is nonrefundable should an author choose to no longer engage in our services between the signing of this contract and the official start date of the project.
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Copyright Claims

Please note that until Rooted in Writing receives payment in full for the project, we retain copyright ownership of the work we have done on the project or manuscript. This means that no journal, book publisher, self-publisher, or the client can legally publish this work if you have not paid us in full for the job.
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Late Payments

When we receive full payment from you, Rooted in Writing will automatically relinquish any copyright claims on your work. The client must stick to the payment schedule, and if the client is 14 days late on a payment, an increase of 20 percent will be added to his or her final payment. Once an invoice begins to accumulate interest, the project will be put on hold until the client is caught up to her payments. Late submission fees will not apply to a hold period if arranged one week in advance of the expected submission. If the client has not paid within 30 days of the final invoice, it will be turned over to a collections agency.

Release from Liability

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Editing is intrinsically a process of offering advice and suggestions to the client. While we will make every effort to bring questionable material to your attention, you agree to indemnify and save Rooted in Writing and its editors harmless from any and all claims or demands, including legal fees, arising out of any alleged libel or copyright infringement committed by you in creating the work.

Your editor cannot be liable to you or any third party for damages, including lost profits, lost savings, complaints, claims, litigation or other incidental, consequential or special damages that arise from this work. We do not guarantee sales or positive reviews through our services.

If any provision of this agreement shall be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from this agreement and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.

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