Manuscript Assessment Terms and Conditions

• These terms and conditions, together with our privacy policy govern The Literary Consultancy’s relationship with you in relation to Manuscript Assessment, Submission Package Reports and Developmental Editing.
• For the fee we undertake to provide a one-off independent critique. If a report is deemed unclear both in the view of the client and TLC, we will seek clarification from the reader and advise accordingly. Whilst we will endeavour to be as helpful as we reasonably can in-house, the fee covers the read only as described.
• It is not TLC policy to put you in touch with your reader directly, however if you have a message for your reader please indicate this and we can pass the message on.
• We will decide in-house who the most suitable editor for the job is, and aim to make a good match each time. TLC’s decision is final in the choice of editor.
• We reserve the right to return your work and payment to you should we fail to find a suitable editor. In these exceptional circumstances, a full refund will be issued.
• We aim to provide an assessment within 4-6 weeks but cannot guarantee this.
• If you have paid for a quick turnaround, you can expect to receive your report within 7-10 working days of your MS being assigned to a TLC reader.
• TLC will endeavour to assign quick turnaround reports within 1-2 days maximum.
• TLC requires correct payment in order to process any submission.
• Manuscripts must be double-spaced, in 12 point font with page numbers inserted, and printed on single sides of A4, unbound and numbered.
• We cannot return your manuscript without a SAE with sufficient postage to cover the weight of your work. If no SAE is included, your manuscript will be confidentially recycled.
• Folders and plastic wallets will not be returned.
• Amended manuscripts cannot be accepted once the work has been sent to a reader. Any amendments before this incur an additional print fee.
• Refunds can be processed up until the point an editor has been assigned and the manuscript sent to them, thereafter no refunds will be possible.
• In cases where you wish to lodge a complaint, we ask that you send us a letter or email no earlier than one week after receiving your report. We will do our utmost to resolve the situation. We ask that any feedback of this nature be submitted to us within no longer than six weeks of receipt of your report in order to help us resolve issues whilst the editor has the text relatively fresh in their mind. We cannot deal with complaints raised more than six weeks after receipt of your TLC report.
• We cannot take responsibility for work lost in the post, so please ensure you have a back-up at home.
• Your work will be treated in the strictest confidence.
• The copyright of your work is automatically yours and remains yours at all times.
• The copyright of the report remains with TLC. Permission should be sought from TLC before quoting a report, for example to agents or on personal websites.
• Recommendations to agents or publishers will only be made after an assessment if both the reader and TLC in-house team deem your work to be potentially marketable.
• In the event that we wish to forward your work to agent or publishers on your behalf, we will never do so without seeking your permission first.
• TLC has linking agreements with a number of literary agencies. This is not to the financial detriment of the author. We will disclose all information pertaining to this upon request.
• TLC will make no false promises or mislead the writer in any way.
• Whilst we realise that receiving feedback is a sensitive process, and whilst we wish to work with as wide a range of clients as possible,  we expect clients to behave in a professional manner and reserve the right to stop working with a client should their manner be offensive to our staff.
• Whilst we are broadminded and accept that writing deals with subject matter of all kinds, we reserve the right not to process work if we deem it to be excessively and unacceptably offensive

See also:

• Privacy Policy

• Privacy Policy full version – Download PDF

• Website Usage Terms and Conditions

• Cookie Policy

• Mentoring Terms & Conditions