PubLaunch Service Contract

This agreement is between the Writer and Supplier and concerns the manuscript identified in the invoice.

As outlined in the Terms of Use, Suppliers are required to provide all services as assigned by the PubLaunch Administrators if marked “Available” in their profile at the time of the assignment. See Termination for exceptions.

Both Writer and Supplier are considered to have entered into this contract if the following two conditions have been met:

1) The Writer clicks “I accept this invoice.”

2) The Supplier is marked “Available” at the time the Writer clicks “I accept this invoice.”

Services

By listing a service and marking themselves “Available” in their profile, PubLaunch Suppliers agree to do the following for any project they are assigned by PubLaunch Administration:

GHOSTWRITERS

Write on behalf of the Writer to the target word count specified by the Writer in the invoice. If requested, ghostwriters will also conduct research into the topic of the manuscript for an additional fee.

WRITING COACHES

Provide ten hours of writing coaching, delivered in a method determined by the Writer and Supplier in the project chat.

REWRITERS

Create a new manuscript from an existing draft, at the direction of the Writer.

STRUCTURAL EDITORS

Improve the organization and content of the manuscript, ensuring it is well structured and appropriate for the Writer’s goal. PubLaunch’s editors are expected to adhere to Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards.

COPYEDITING

Ensure the manuscript’s correctness, accuracy, consistency, and completeness. PubLaunch copy editors may function with an industry standard acceptable error rate of 5%, and are expected to adhere to Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards.

COVER DESIGN – BASIC

Provide the Writer with one rough draft and develop the approved design into a finished cover. Basic covers are text only or use an image provided by the Writer.

COVER DESIGN – CUSTOM

Provide the Writer with three rough drafts and develop the draft of their choice into a finished cover. Cover Design – Custom includes a custom illustration, which may be subcontracted at their discretion.

ILLUSTRATION

Work with the Writer to develop an initial illustration concept for all commissioned illustrations and provide at least one mock-up of each illustration for the Writer’s approval before delivering the final work. Illustrations commissioned through PubLaunch will be provided in black and white, with Writers choosing between full- or half-page illustrations.

PRINT FORMATTING

Lay out manuscripts into print-ready book format, consulting with the Writer regarding required file types.

Designers providing the Generic service may use a pre-existing template, whereas the Custom service includes a custom design.

EBOOK CONVERSION

Convert a copyedited .doc, .docx, or design file of the layed-out manuscript into ebook format. Ebooks should be without fonts and include limited formatting in order to maximize readability and e-reader compatibility, but Writers may request special formatting and fonts at their discretion.

AUDIOBOOK PRODUCTION

Provide audiobook service packages as agreed upon with PubLaunch Inc.

INDEXING

Create an index of key names, places, dates, key terms, and concepts for a manuscript. Indexers are trained to write a comprehensive and useful index that will help readers find information on significant topics.

Indexers are expected to consult with the Writer as to the topics covered, especially in the case of academic texts. They should understand the level of depth required and keep the agreed-upon index length.

QUALITY CONTROL (proofreading)

Once the manuscript is in its final format, the proofreader checks the editing and formatting. PubLaunch’s proofreaders are expected to adhere to Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards.

MARKETING

Provide marketing service packages as agreed upon with PubLaunch Inc.

Delivery

Writers are responsible for supplying the manuscript as a Word file at the request of PubLaunch Administrators. Writers are responsible for addressing all edits to the manuscript or requests for edits by Suppliers using the Track Changes feature of Microsoft Word. Any changes to the manuscript by the Writer outside of these requests will result in additional fees set at the discretion of PubLaunch administration.

For all services beyond Writing and Editorial, the Supplier is expected to consult with the Writer to procure files needed to provide the service and to determine the expected file type of the final product.

Payment

By clicking “I accept this invoice,” the Writer agrees to pay the Supplier the full amount stated on the invoice for the service(s) provided. This amount will be paid by the Writer to PubLaunch immediately after acceptance of the invoice and paid out to the Supplier as follows:

GHOSTWRITING

In installments corresponding with milestones agreed upon by the Supplier and PubLaunch Administrator at the outset of the project. The final installment will be paid upon completion and delivery of the manuscript to the Writer, as indicated by the Writer to the Administrator in the project chat.

WRITING COACHING

In advance of ten hours of coaching.

REWRITING

Upon completion and delivery of the rewritten manuscript to the Writer, as indicated by the Writer to the Administrator in the project chat.

REWRITERS

Create a new manuscript from an existing draft, at the direction of the Writer.

STRUCTURAL EDITING

Upon completion and delivery of the final edit to the Writer, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

COPYEDITING

Upon completion and delivery of the final edit to the Writer, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

COVER DESIGN

Upon completion and delivery of the final Basic or Custom cover (see “Services” (above) for definitions of Basic and Custom) to the Writer, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

ILLUSTRATION

Upon completion and delivery of the final illustration(s) files to the Writer, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

PRINT FORMATTING

Upon completion and delivery of the print-read PDF to the Writer, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

EBOOK CONVERSION

Upon completion and delivery of the final ebook files to the Writer, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

AUDIOBOOK PRODUCTION

Upon completion and delivery of the final audio file to the Writer and, if requested, upload of the audio file to the Writers ACX or Amazon account, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

INDEXING

Upon completion and delivery of the final index files to the Writer, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

QUALITY CONTROL/PROOFREADING

Upon completion and delivery of the final proofread manuscript and, if applicable, index files to the Writer, as indicated by the Supplier to the Administrator in the project chat.

MARKETING

MARKETING - Title Discovery Research and Comprehensive Custom Title Marketing Plan In advance of the delivery of the agreed upon marketing plan to the Writer.

MARKETING - VIP Platinum book marketing campaign In advance of the delivery of marketing plan to the Writer and three months of execution support.

Termination

This contract may be terminated by the Writer if

1) It has been 48 or fewer hours since successful payment processing for a full refund. If the Writer cancels this contract at any point beyond this 48-hour window, they will not receive a refund.

2) The Supplier has not fulfilled their duties outlined in Services, including late work (see Timeframe, below) and non-delivery. Before the contract is terminated, PubLaunch Administrators will work with both parties to allow the work between the Writer and Supplier to continue. If the Writer insists that the contract be terminated, PubLaunch’s Administrators will assess the work done by the Supplier and decide one of the following:

a) The work done by the Supplier was satisfactory, in which case the Writer may terminate the contract without a refund.

b) The work was not performed to a professional level, in which case the Writer may terminate the contract for a full refund. Professional level means that the work was not done within industry-standard acceptable error rates.

*Cover design special case: if you’ve received three cover-design rough drafts, and you don’t like any of them you can do one of the following:

a) Choose the best of the three.

b) Pay again and choose another designer.

For Cover Design services specifically, a Writer’s dissatisfaction with the rough draft(s) provided is not grounds for deeming the service not satisfactory. In this case, the Writer is encouraged to continue with the draft(s) provided or hire another designer for the project.

This contract may be terminated by the Supplier if

1) The Writer has misdescribed the work to be done (e.g., the word count is not accurate or the manuscript is not complete). If the Supplier wishes to terminate the contract on these grounds, they must do so within 48 hours of receiving the manuscript. In this case, the Writer will be refunded the full amount of the service.

2) The Supplier must attend to a family or medical emergency. In this case, PubLaunch Administrators will assess the work done by the Supplier and decide one of the following:

a) If the work done by the Supplier can be continued by a new Supplier, the Writer will have a choice between receiving a partial refund or having the work assigned to a different Supplier. The amount to be refunded and the amount to be paid to the cancelling Supplier will be determined at PubLaunch’s sole and undisputable discretion.

b) If PubLaunch’s Administration determines that work cannot be continued and a different Supplier must start anew, the Writer will have a choice between receiving a full refund or having the work assigned to a different Supplier.

In all cases, PubLaunch’s Administrator will assist the Writer in hiring a replacement Supplier if a replacement is desired. In the case a replacement is not hired, subsequent Suppliers who rely on the terminating Supplier’s work will also have their contracts terminated (e.g., a copyeditor who relies on the work of a structural editor).

In the case that all contracts linked to a given project are terminated, the Writer’s refund will include PubLaunch’s project management fee.

Timeframe

The Supplier will complete the work within a reasonable timeframe, as determined by PubLaunch Administrators. This timeframe will take into account the necessary order of services (e.g., a structural editor must finish their work before a copy editor can begin) and the responsiveness of the Writer to requests for information from Suppliers.

PubLaunch Administration will monitor workflow and attempt to contact Suppliers who are in danger of exceeding a reasonable timeframe. In the case a Supplier does not respond, the Writer will be refunded the full amount of the service less PubLaunch’s project management fee (see Termination).

Indemnity

Services provided via PubLaunch are intrinsically a process of offering advice and suggestions to the Writer. While the Supplier will make every effort to bring questionable material and other problems to the Writer’s attention, the Writer agrees to indemnify and save harmless PubLaunch and the Supplier from any and all claims or demands, including legal fees, arising out of any alleged libel or copyright infringement, or other legal or contractual issues created by the Writer in writing, revising, publishing, or otherwise using the work.

Applicable laws

The terms of this agreement shall be interpreted according to the laws of Ontario, Canada.

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