Terms | cynthiashepp

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

I occasionally update my Terms and Conditions. It is a client’s responsibility to occasionally glance at it to see if anything has changed.

MANUSCRIPTS must be submitted in Times New Roman, size 12 font, and double spaced. If they are not, I will change them. It makes the editing process cleaner and easier.

I DO NOT edit non-fiction books. However, I will edit non-fiction articles, website material, press releases, and other such subject matter. I am also not familiar with UK grammar. I will edit UK books, but only if they are being completely Americanized. If you want to keep some UK tone, (colour instead of color, sayings, etc) that is fine. You just have to make sure to tell me. However, any and all grammar related issues I do recognize will be Americanized.

GRAPHIC and/or gratuitous rape scenes are not accepted. Books containing them are subject to IMMEDIATE return without refund or completion.

HOWEVER, books that contain rape are not an automatic no. A girl trying to get over being raped, a fade-to-black rape scene that is integral to the story, a book about rape that inspires hope in victims, a crime book that manages to impress the violence without making it graphic and pleasingly sexual, etc… would all be considered and most likely accepted. Please just explain the scenes to me. Erotica books that use rape as something pleasingly sexual, or any book that does, or any book that describes rape in graphic, violent, sexual, scene-by-scene detail, will not be accepted and if in a book I accepted without my knowledge, will be returned with NO REFUND OR COMPLETION. (Rape Clause Added October 20, 2015)

AUTHORS are responsible for getting their books to me by the date agreed upon. If I have not received it within two days of the agreed upon date, I will move on to the next in line, unless I have an email from the author and we agree on other terms.

RUSH jobs, which I very rarely take, will incur a fee. It will depend on length and time given to finish. The start amount is $100, and it goes up from there.

PLEASE be aware that books that need excessive editing outside of the package picked may lead to extra fees. The fees will be discussed with the author before any work is done. If while editing the book, excessive editing outside the package becomes a problem, progress will halt while the author is contacted. This rarely happens. However, I have had a book for proofread that the sample was great, but when I received the book, only the first two chapters were acceptable. The rest needed more of a developmental edit. This is the reason I ask for middle-of-the-book samples, although that is not always a foolproof method.

PAYMENT is accepted up front. An invoice is sent through PayPal when I receive the manuscript. No work will be done until invoice is paid in full. PayPal fees are calculatedand added to final bill. A $100 cancellation fee will be charged if the client cancels their time slot less than a week before their date. A $50 cancellation fee will be charged if the client cancels their time slot less than two weeks before their date. This fee is strictly enforced. *If an author contacts me and makes other arrangements to reschedule or cancel before the two-week mark, there is no fee. Be respectful of time and let me know two weeks in advance if you cannot keep your spot.

HOLIDAYS and holiday weekends DO NOT count toward the estimated amount of time given to edit your manuscript. Those times are spent with my family. We always take a vacation during the week of Thanksgiving. Please be respectful of that time. If any of those fall during your time period, please be aware of this. Example: If you are given a time period over Christmas, please be aware the holidays will interfere with the edit time. Times given are estimates unless completely firmed up by way of a pre-order publication date. Sometimes, life happens. Manuscripts are given my complete attention and are turned over in as timely a manner as possible. Please be patient.

***I am NOT a developmental editor. I am a final-draft editor. If you are a FIRST-TIME author who needs extensive help with plot, character development, and flow, I would recommend that you hire a developmental editor to work with you through the different stages of editing.***

I reserve the right to refuse any and all manuscripts at my discretion.

Contact Details:

To contact me about availability, questions, or to submit your manuscript, please email me at cynthiashepp@yahoo.com. Please be aware that my schedule fills up quickly. For assurance of a spot, a 4-6 week pre-schedule is necessary.

(No Refunds… No Exceptions.)

I always recommend that authors send the manuscript to betas after editing. No manuscript will ever be 100% perfect. Betas can help find those stray errors before publication. They are a valuable asset.