CHECKLIST

NOTES

1. The nature of the job. Is it:
editing
rewriting
writing
proofreading
picture research
designing
project management
other

EDITING is very difficult to define, and it is important for both you and the publisher to know whether, for example, you are simply being asked to put in commas and full stops and check spelling (straightforward copyediting) or whether the job involves cutting, redrafting, reorganization, rewriting.

DESIGN also presents definition problems: make sure you know whether the job involves meetings, research, budgets, schedules, artwork and much more.

2. Liabilities. What sort of responsibilities are you expected to take on?

PICTURE RESEARCHERS, EDITORS, DESIGNERS, PROJECT MANAGERS, ensure that publisher’s insurance policy covers pictures while they are with you AND while they are in transit. You should not take responsibility for loss or damage, though of course you should agree to take all reasonable care.

The same applies to ILLUSTRATIONS. Will you be asked to handle artwork? If so, ensure the company accepts liability.

When you are given work on DISC, make sure there is a back-up. Copy the disc on to your hard drive and make a duplicate on which to work on screen. Ask the publisher to provide hard copy along with the disc so that you do not have to spend time printing it out in order to read it properly. If you have to post irreplaceable material, get the publisher to agree to pay for special delivery post or a courier, or to pay for a photocopy of your corrected copy. If the publisher refuses, disclaim in writing responsibility for loss or damage in transit. Never work on a HARD COPY without checking there is another copy and , if not, get the publisher to make one. While you will naturally undertake work to the highest standard possible, NEVER agree to be charged for extra printing costs incurred as a result of your work (it has happened).

DESIGNERS may have to consider many of the above possibilities, and the same advice applies.

3. Are there any extras?

EDITORS might find themselves writing captions, providing glossaries, indexing, checking proofs and pages. Make sure all jobs are accounted for when it comes to invoicing. In PICTURE RESEARCH especially, make sure you and the publisher have agreed on exactly what is needed in terms of record-keeping and returning photos among other things. In all cases, make sure that the publisher has taken into account the amount of time taken up in meetings. Charge these at an hourly rate or, if you are being paid a flat fee, make sure that the meetings are taken into account. You could try agreeing a flat fee but stipulating an extra hourly charge for time taken up in meetings if this seems excessive. Remember that the time spent getting to and from meetings is also work time and charge for it. DESIGNERS especially should watch out for the publisher who comes up with extra demands for no extra payment. Make sure you know exactly what the job entails and then agree a price. Try to establish which of the following is needed: specimen spreads, sales dummies, type mark-up, grid, sizing halftones, checking page proofs, jacket design, CRC.

4. Are there any special problems?

Special problems can include handwritten copy, single spaced type, little bits of paper clipped on here and there, faded computer printouts that are almost impossible to read … all may lead to time consuming retyping. Watch out for the publisher who wants you to rearrange, insert bits of previously published books, quotes and so on. This is also very time consuming.

EDITORS: check if publisher wants proper names, place names and facts to be checked, especially if you have found reasons to doubt the author’s accuracy. Agree how much checking is to be done.

5. Liaison.

Who should you phone in-house with queries and progress reports?

EDITORS/PICTURE RESEARCHERS: have you been told you can deal directly with author, illustrator, designer if necessary?

PROJECT MANAGING: you may be asked to take on the entire responsibility for production of the book with little or no contact with an in-house staff member. In this case, it is especially important to get your responsibilities set out in writing and to agree a fee for the work that reflects this extra level of responsibility.

DESIGNERS: make sure that you know whether you are responsible to the editor or the art department, and make sure that whoever commissions you is sure about this. There have been numerous cases of designers being given conflicting instructions.

6. Deadline.

When does the publisher want the work back? Check if their deadline is feasible. You will probably need to have a good look at the work before you can decide, and you should try to assess the time you expect to take in the light of your own experience of your own working methods. Try not to be browbeaten to meet an impossible deadline. If the publisher’s assessment of the time a job takes is unrealistic for you, it is probably unrealistic in general. For example, some freelance editors have calculated that straightforward copyediting can take about one hour per 1000 words. This means that it is not realistic for a publisher to ask you to complete a 200 000-word job in three weeks.

EDITORS, DESIGNERS and all other freelances should have a copy of the production schedule as soon as it is available and be informed promptly of any changes.

7. House style.

EDITORS: ask for the publisher’s house style. If there isn’t one, agree that you should establish your own and keep a style sheet to pass on to a proofreader. (Sample style sheet at the end of this document.)

DESIGNERS: is there a design house style? If so, make sure you are informed of what it is.

8. Queries.

In EDITING and PROOFREADING, check how the publisher wants queries listed: in pencil on the proofs or typescript? On post-its near the query? Listed separately? More than one of these in combination?

9. Method of payment:

Hourly rate.

Compare what is offered with NUJ recommended rates, and try not to settle for less. Check that you are being offered at least the correct amount according to any existing NUJ house agreement.

If the house agreement is being renegotiated as you work, check that you can benefit from any backdated settlement.

Try to get the publisher to tell you the amount of money available in the budget. Work out how many hours this seems to suggest (see following notes on flat fees). Is this realistic? Try to agree a point at which you will warn the publisher if the job is likely to go over budget.

Flat fee.

WRITERS: check that the offered fee falls within any NUJ agreement with the company concerned. If there is no house agreement, find out what the usual rate is and compare it with the NUJ recommended rate. Remember that some books, such as children’s information books, need a great deal of research, even when there are few words. Try to agree a fee that reflects the amount of work needed. Note also that writing to a strict brief in terms of the number of words or lines is time consuming and this should be taken into account. Try to resist a demand for "all rights" – that is, your copyright. Discuss which rights the publisher actually needs. If you do assign them all, charge a premium.

EDITORS, PROOFREADERS, RESEARCHERS: when negotiating a flat fee, it is very important to try to calculate how long the job will take and check with the publisher how long they think it will take. Watch out for the publisher that shows you a small pile of papers, tells you there’s a bit more to come and then asks for an instant assessment of how long the job will take. You can’t possibly tell until you have had a chance to study the whole job in detail, and even then you may have to start work on it before you can be really sure.

Some manuscripts can easily be seen to be in a much worse state than others. If you’re inexperienced as a freelance, it’s a good idea to talk it over with another NUJ freelance before committing yourself to an estimate. Rules of thumb are difficult to give, since the amount of work on one manuscript can be vastly different from that needed for another of the same length. Some freelance members have worked out a very rough average on straightforward copyediting of one hour per 1000 words (see the section on DEADLINE), and one hour per 3000 words for proofreading against copy. (This naturally takes longer than reading proofs for novels, for example, when you are not reading against copy.)

DESIGNERS face similar problems, with publishers showing you a few pages and then asking you to guess what you can’t see. Establish if they are working on a number-of-pages basis, the number of diagrams or other measure.

ALL: when the publisher suggests a flat fee, and when you have calculated how long you think it will take, calculate what it works out in terms of an hourly rate. Compare this with:

• The NUJ recommended rate
• The publisher’s own NUJ agreement on hourly rate, if there is one.

Do not undercut existing agreements.

Agree beforehand that you have the right to renegotiate if a job proves to be more complex and time consuming than it first appeared. Publishers may ask for the point at which renegotiation takes place to fall before you are halfway through the book. You yourself can often tell at an early point, but insist on at least the halfway mark if you can’t. Always get any agreement about the right to renegotiate in writing.

Remember that even good union members who commission you will be under pressure when it comes to dealing with budgets. They may offer flat fees not based on hourly rates in the house agreement. So work out the rate yourself before agreeing to the fee offered.

Beware of working in-house for too long. This can lead you into all sorts of trouble with tax and national insurance. It may also prevent you from keeping up other contacts, which you must do if you’re to be a successful freelance.

10. Invoicing.

Try to get the publisher to agree to periodic invoicing on long jobs. Many publishers accept monthly invoices on long-term projects, and it is a good idea to insist on this.

11. Expenses.

Keep all receipts.

Will there be costly postage (especially special delivery), travelling or phone calls? Will you need to spend time and money photocopying? It is normal practice for publishers to reimburse these expenses.

DESIGNERS should remember the following expenses and come to an agreement about when they should be reimbursed (or whether they will be included in the fee): photoprints, materials, typesetting. Vague commissioning could land you in trouble. Unless you are in a position to make an exact estimate, try to get expenses accounted for separately.

12. Payment period.

Insist on payment within 30 days of invoicing. Many publishers try to improve their cash flow by delaying payment to freelances. Be firm about the need to insure your own cash flow by receiving prompt payment. The NUJ book branch, freelance organiser or legal officer can help in stubborn cases.

Try to get everything you have agreed in writing. Either ask the publisher to write to you, or write a letter of confirmation yourself. Keep a document file with everything pertaining to the job in it, and don’t lose it. If anyone wants to see any document, make sure you have a copy before you part with the original.

Note:

This lengthy document has been drawn up from the collective experience of various members of the former Book Branch Freelance Section. If you have any suggestions for changes or additions, contact Andy Smith.