BEFORE WE START WORKING TOGETHER

Clear expectations. Better collaboration.

Your manuscript is personal. So is the decision to trust someone with it. These Editing Terms & Policies explain what working with The Storytellers Group looks like, from booking and payment to revisions, scheduling, and protecting your creative work.

The goal is simple: no mystery about the process, no surprise scope changes, and no confusion about what we each agree to.

Last updated: October 20, 2026

THE BASICS

First, we make a clear plan.

These policies describe our general approach to providing editorial services. Before an editing project begins, you will receive a written agreement confirming your selected service, manuscript length and version, total fee, payment schedule, deliverables, anticipated editing timeline, and any project-specific terms. The signed agreement governs the details of your engagement if they differ from this general page, subject to applicable law.

Our published, fixed prices apply to manuscripts up to 120,000 words. Projects exceeding 120,000 words require a custom quote. No additional editing rounds or services are added to your project without your approval and an agreed price.

PAYMENT WITHOUT GUESSWORK

Two ways to pay. The same professional care.

All four full-manuscript editing packages offer Pay in Full or Three Installments, regardless of manuscript length. There is no extra fee just for choosing installments. You’ll select your option before signing the editing agreement.

How the three installments work

First Chapter Editorial Check: The $175 fee is payable in full before this service begins; installment payments are not offered for this assessment.

If a payment is missed: Work may pause until the account is brought current. A pause can affect your reserved editing time, so an adjusted completion date may be necessary. We will communicate any scheduling changes.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

You know what you’re paying for.

Each manuscript package includes one complete editorial pass per included stage and the deliverables described for that service. The Publish-Ready Edit includes a developmental edit, your revisions, line editing, your next revisions, and a final proofread. Each stage builds on the manuscript version agreed for that stage.

Your editor will identify concerns, explain their impact on a reader, and offer practical ways forward. The author remains responsible for choosing and completing revisions. A follow-up conversation is not a substitute for a new editing pass.

Your 14-day follow-up window

• After feedback for an included editorial stage is delivered, you have 14 calendar days to submit one consolidated set of questions.
• We’ll clarify existing editorial notes, recommendations, and suggested next steps.
• The follow-up does not include reviewing a substantially revised manuscript, conducting another full pass, or providing a new editorial assessment.
• For Publish-Ready Edit clients, the 14-day window applies separately to each included editorial stage.

The First Chapter Editorial Check includes its described written assessment; any additional manuscript review or extended consultation would need to be separately agreed.

Changes to scope

If you request further editing rounds, a different service, or work on additional or materially revised material beyond the agreed scope, we’ll discuss the change and its cost before any extra work begins. You will not be billed for unapproved add-ons.

RESPECTING EACH OTHER’S TIME

Deadlines work best when we communicate.

Your project agreement will outline expected manuscript delivery dates, editorial milestones, and—when applicable—author revision deadlines between stages. These dates depend on the agreed manuscript, service, and schedule.

• If you anticipate a delay: Let us know as early as possible so we can discuss options.
• If a manuscript or revision arrives late: Your editing project may move to the next available opening. Previously reserved time cannot always be held.
• If a payment is overdue: Editorial work may pause, and the timeline may need to be revised before work resumes.
• If the editing scope expands: We’ll discuss any new schedule or additional price before proceeding.

Missing a manuscript or revision deadline does not automatically trigger an added fee. We will confirm an updated timeline when needed, and we’ll keep you informed if circumstances on our side require a schedule change.

IF PLANS CHANGE

Cancellations, completed work, and refunds.

Sometimes a book changes direction, a publication plan shifts, or life happens. If you need to stop a project, let us know in writing as soon as possible so we can confirm where the work stands.

Future installments for editing stages that have not begun will not be charged automatically solely because you cancel, although obligations for work already performed or other expressly agreed and legally enforceable charges may still apply. No further editing will take place after cancellation becomes effective.

Important: Refund rights can depend on the circumstances and applicable law. The final signed agreement will explain the specific cancellation terms for your project.

YOUR STORY STAYS YOURS

Confidentiality, ownership, and human-only editing.

Your work remains your intellectual property

You retain ownership of your manuscript, characters, and other original creative material. Hiring The Storytellers Group for editing does not transfer authorship or publishing rights to us. You are responsible for having the necessary rights and permissions to submit any material for editing.

Unpublished work is treated as confidential

We do not publicly share your unpublished excerpts, story details, editorial correspondence, or identifiable project information in promotional materials or portfolios without your permission. We use manuscript material to evaluate or perform the editorial services you’ve requested. Necessary administrative providers, such as email or file storage services, may process information as described in our Privacy Policy.

At present, editorial work is handled directly by our founder. If we engage additional editors in the future, no other editor will receive your manuscript without your advance knowledge and approval, and appropriate confidentiality commitments.

A real human reads and edits your story

All manuscript evaluations, developmental feedback, line editing, and proofreading are performed by a human editor. We do not use generative artificial intelligence to analyze, rewrite, critique, or edit client manuscripts, and we do not upload unpublished manuscripts or confidential creative material to generative AI platforms.

Ordinary word-processing features, such as tracked changes and conventional spellcheck, may be used to support the human editorial workflow. Creative and editorial judgment stays with your human editor.

How we communicate and exchange files

We will agree on suitable file formats and a method of sharing manuscript material before editing begins. Please do not submit payment-card details, passwords, or other sensitive information through the website’s general inquiry form.

ONE LAST THING

A stronger manuscript is a collaboration.

We bring careful reading, clear recommendations, and professional editorial judgment. You bring your story, creative decisions, and timely communication. Editing can strengthen a manuscript, but no editor can promise a particular publishing deal, reader response, sales result, or completely error-free final book.

These general policies may be updated over time. For an active project, your signed agreement documents the terms applicable to that engagement, subject to applicable law.

Have a question about a policy or how it would apply to your manuscript? Reach us at jordan@thestorytellers.group or send an inquiry. We’d rather clarify expectations before work begins.