Editorial Services Terms & Conditions
Project Delivery & Client Responsibilities
Editorial Services Disclaimer

Part I — Editorial Services Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern all editorial and organizational services provided by Alignelle Editorial ("the Company," "we," or "our") to clients ("you" or "the Client"). By engaging the Company for any service, submitting a signed project proposal, or authorizing commencement of work, the Client agrees to be bound by these Terms in their entirety.

1.1 Nature of Services

The Company provides editorial content organization, information architecture support, document formatting and editorial preparation, and publication planning services. All services are editorial and organizational in nature. The Company does not provide journalism, licensed publishing services, legal document preparation, copyright registration, regulated professional writing services, or services that constitute the practice of law, medicine, or any other licensed profession.

The Company does not represent or warrant that materials produced under these Terms will be accepted by any particular publisher, platform, institution, or evaluator. Editorial organization is distinct from guarantee of publication or commercial success.

1.2 Project Engagement Process

All engagements begin with a written project inquiry. Following review of the inquiry, the Company will prepare a project proposal outlining the scope of services, estimated timeline, and pricing. The engagement is considered formally initiated only upon written acceptance of the proposal by the Client and receipt of the applicable deposit payment. Verbal agreements or informal correspondence prior to proposal acceptance do not constitute a binding engagement.

1.3 Scope of Work

The agreed scope of work is defined in the project proposal. Work performed outside the agreed scope — including additional materials submitted after project commencement, expansion of structural requirements, or changes to the agreed format — constitutes out-of-scope work and will be subject to additional fees, which will be communicated to the Client before work proceeds. The Client's approval of additional fees is required before the Company performs any out-of-scope work.

1.4 Fees and Payment Terms

Fees for services are set out in the project proposal. Unless otherwise stated in the proposal, the following payment schedule applies: fifty percent (50%) of the total project fee is due upon engagement commencement; the remaining fifty percent (50%) is due upon delivery of the final work product. For projects with an estimated value below five hundred US dollars ($500), full payment is due upon engagement commencement.

Invoices are issued at the relevant billing milestones. Payment is due within fourteen (14) calendar days of invoice issuance. Late payments are subject to a late fee of 1.5% per month on the outstanding balance, accruing from the date the payment became due.

1.5 Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in client-submitted materials remain with the Client or the respective rights holders at all times. The organizational frameworks, structural plans, and formatting approaches developed by the Company during a project engagement are work product delivered to the Client upon full payment of project fees. Upon receipt of full payment, the Client receives a non-exclusive license to use all delivered work product for the purposes described in the project proposal. The Company retains the right to reference the existence of the engagement (but not the content of client materials) for general business purposes, unless the Client requests confidentiality in writing.

1.6 Warranties and Limitation of Liability

The Company warrants that services will be performed with reasonable professional care and skill. The Company does not warrant that the structural or editorial recommendations provided will guarantee any specific commercial outcome, reader response, or acceptance by third parties. The total liability of the Company to the Client for any claims arising out of or in connection with a project engagement shall not exceed the total fees paid by the Client for the specific project from which the claim arises.

The Company shall not be liable for indirect, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages of any kind, including but not limited to loss of revenue, loss of opportunity, or reputational harm, even if the Company has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

1.7 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States of America, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or from any service engagement shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Fayette County, Kentucky.

Part II — Project Delivery & Client Responsibilities

2.1 Client Obligations

The successful completion of an editorial engagement depends significantly on the Client's active participation. The Client agrees to fulfill the following responsibilities throughout the project:

• Provide all source materials required for the project in a complete and organized state at the time of engagement commencement, or within the timeline specified in the project proposal
• Designate a primary point of contact who has authority to make decisions regarding the project scope, direction, and approvals
• Respond to questions, requests for clarification, or draft submissions from the Company within five (5) business days unless a different response period is specified in the project proposal
• Review all delivered draft work and structural plans and provide consolidated, specific feedback rather than vague or sequential feedback across multiple communications
• Ensure that all materials submitted to the Company are owned by or properly licensed to the Client, and that the Client has the authority to commission editorial work on those materials
• Notify the Company promptly if the scope, purpose, or target audience of the project changes materially after engagement commencement

2.2 Delivery Timelines

Estimated delivery timelines are specified in the project proposal. All timelines are contingent upon timely receipt of complete source materials from the Client and timely review and approval of drafts at each project stage. The Company will notify the Client promptly if circumstances beyond the Company's reasonable control are likely to affect the delivery timeline.

If the Client fails to provide required materials, approvals, or responses within the agreed timelines, the delivery date will be extended by a period equivalent to the delay caused by the Client, and the Company reserves the right to reschedule the project within its workflow. Repeated or extended delays caused by the Client may result in suspension of the project, subject to the cancellation terms set out in the Payment, Cancellation and Refund Policy.

2.3 Revisions

Each project includes a defined number of revision rounds as specified in the project proposal. A revision round is defined as a single consolidated set of structural or organizational feedback submitted in one communication. Sequential or piecemeal feedback submitted in separate communications will be treated as multiple revision rounds. Revisions requested beyond the included number will be billed at the Company's standard hourly rate, which will be disclosed in the project proposal.

Revisions are limited to structural and organizational modifications within the agreed project scope. Requests to change the fundamental direction, purpose, or audience of the project after significant work has been completed constitute a scope change and will be treated accordingly.

2.4 Acceptance and Final Delivery

The project is considered complete upon delivery of the final work product and payment of all outstanding fees. If the Client does not raise specific, written objections to the delivered work within ten (10) business days of delivery, the work is deemed accepted. Accepted work product will not be subject to further revision without a new project engagement.

2.5 Storage and Return of Client Materials

The Company will retain copies of client materials and project deliverables for a period of ninety (90) days following project completion, after which materials may be permanently deleted. If the Client requires longer-term storage or retrieval of project files, this must be arranged in writing prior to project completion. The Company is not responsible for loss of client materials resulting from events beyond the Company's reasonable control.

Part III — Editorial Services Disclaimer

3.1 Scope of Editorial Services

Alignelle Editorial provides editorial content organization, information architecture, document formatting, and publication planning services. These services are strictly organizational and editorial in nature. The Company does not provide, and nothing in any service engagement constitutes, legal advice, financial advice, medical advice, psychological counseling, journalistic services, regulated professional services of any kind, or services that require professional licensure under federal or state law.

3.2 No Guarantee of Outcomes

The Company makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, that the editorial and organizational services provided will result in the publication, commercial success, critical acceptance, or particular reception of any materials. Editorial structure is one factor among many that influences the success of a publication, and outcomes depend on a wide range of factors outside the Company's control, including market conditions, audience preferences, publisher standards, and the inherent quality of the underlying content.

3.3 Client Responsibility for Content

The Client is solely responsible for the accuracy, truthfulness, legality, and appropriateness of all materials submitted to the Company and all content ultimately published or distributed. The Company's organizational and structural work does not constitute endorsement of the factual claims, opinions, or positions expressed in client materials. The Company does not verify the accuracy of factual statements contained in client materials and assumes no liability for inaccurate, misleading, defamatory, or otherwise unlawful content.

3.4 Third-Party Standards

The Company does not guarantee that work product prepared by the Company will conform to the specific style guides, submission requirements, or formatting standards of any particular publisher, institution, journal, or platform. Clients should verify third-party requirements independently and communicate those requirements to the Company at the outset of the engagement.

3.5 Limitation of Representations

All descriptions of services, processes, and expected outcomes on the Company's website and in its marketing materials are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute binding representations, warranties, or guarantees. Each project is unique, and results will vary depending on the nature, scope, and complexity of the materials involved.