7.0 SERVICES & SCOPE OF WORK
Unless stated otherwise in the Agreement:
7.1 Written material (“copy”)
(a) we generally draft all news, feature and web copy (written material) in tabloid format;
(b) we draft all other copy in either tabloid format or in a format congruent to the publication in which it will appear;
(c) we naturally draft all copy in the most newsworthy and entertaining manner so as to increase the chances of obtaining media coverage or broadcast interviews. The editorial angles or ‘hooks’ that we use to draft the copy will be agreed with you first, most probably in the Publicity Service Proposal & Agreement or in the tactics;
(d) we generally draft all copy in ‘publication-ready’ format. Such copy differs from a traditional press release in that it can be published verbatim and without the need for an edit. As such, web links, RRP details, and contact information are not normally included. Web links are rarely published in the national and regional media, and in other types of media, and unless stated in the Agreement we make no assurances that, even if we do provide a URL in our copy, that URL is published;
(e) whilst we generally draft copy in publication-ready format, and distribute it in that format, all media outlets naturally have the right to amend the copy it receives from us and to publish it at any time in whatever form it sees fit and without prior notice or copy approval;
(f) the length of the copy we write will be determined by the type of editorial product and its intended media destination. Word counts stated in the Agreement are estimates only;
(g) we will always present copy to you for approval before it is distributed or, in the case of web copy, set live;
(h) we will amend copy as necessary if it contains information that is false, inaccurate, or which we incorrectly insert through human error;
(i) where copy is written by a journalist directly, we will endeavour to obtain copy approval in advance of publication, though we cannot guarantee this outcome;
(j) we shall endeavour to obtain publicity on certain key dates (such as the launch of a book or when a website goes live), however any dates that we give in the Agreement or tactics are estimates only on the reasonable basis that we cannot force any media outlet to publish content on any given day;
(k) we may at our discretion distribute copy to media recipients directly or through a third-party such as a news and picture agency. We may also engage third-party consultants to place editorial content in specific publications;
(l) images you kindly provide us must be owned by you and we cannot be held responsible for any copyright-related issues that may arise as a result of copyright infringement.
7.2 Radio and TV Appearances
(a) we distribute copy to BBC and commercial radio and TV stations and cannot reasonably specify what stations will invite you for an interview, for how long that interview will be, and whether that interview will be live or pre-recorded;
(b) we endeavour to orchestrate radio and TV interviews that take place during normal UK business hours but cannot for obvious reasons always guarantee timings in this regard. Interviews normally take place during a specified period of time of your choosing – on a certain date or over the course of a number of days – but by engaging our services you kindly accept that those interviews may be requested on days other than those you would have preferred;
(c) you must make yourself available for radio and TV interviews at the proposed time and by whatever method of communication the channel requests. Failing to do so is likely to result in a missed interview opportunity;
(d) radio and TV stations may for whatever reason cancel an interview at any time, and pre-recorded interviews may not be aired for some time;
(e) naturally, we cannot be held responsible if a TV or radio interviewer fails to name-check your product or service, if the name of your product or service is cut from the interview in post-production, or if the interviewer is not positive about or enamoured with your product or service.
7.3 Advertising
a) we will always endeavour to book media space from a publisher on your behalf at a discounted rate;
b) where media space is booked on your behalf, we may earn an agency commission on your total advertising spend (commonly 15 per cent);
c) contracts will normally be between you and the supplier of that media space unless expressly stated to the contrary in the Agreement. Invoices from those media suppliers may therefore be made out in your name and subject to whatever credit terms and conditions you have agreed to under that contract;
d) if we are creating artwork (in any format) for you, we will send such content in draft form(s) for your approval in the first instance. By engaging our services, you kindly understand and agree that: We will make minor amends to this artwork as required – “minor” means small text changes, colour changes or logo changes; and that we will revise the artwork in its entirety or make material amendments to that artwork once. “In its entirety” means producing new artwork that does not reflect our original artwork, and “material amendments” means making more than just minor amendments, as previously described;
e) we will send you a high-resolution PDF (or jpeg file as necessary) of the approved artwork once you have approved it. We will submit the artwork to the media destination on your behalf if required to do so by the Agreement or otherwise at our discretion if requested by you. In cases where the media destination requires changes to that artwork, we will liaise with you to agree on those changes and, subject to the details of this clause, make those changes as necessary;
f) in accordance with applicable Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) guidelines, advertisements in any form, whether in print or online, will where necessary carry the words ‘Advertisement’ or similar description if necessary. Unless we have created the artwork or advertorial content ourselves, queries or complaints from the ASA, should they arise, shall be directed to you or to your art director/copywriter and we shall in no way be responsible for dealing with those queries or liable for any breaches.
7.4 Websites & Social Media Platforms
(a) the websites we produce are created in WordPress;
(b) wherever possible we will source images that are free to use in a monetary and copyright sense. Where we are unable to source such images, we will notify you and seek your approval before purchasing the images we will need;
(c) we will normally conduct reasonable lay research to establish SEO keywords and include such terms in the website’s editorial content and SEO descriptions. We will normally list those keywords/key terms in the Campaign Roadmap;
(d) the privacy policies, cookie policies, and terms and conditions that we incorporate into our websites are general in nature and may require legal input. By engaging our services, you kindly agree that we are not liable for any issues that may arise as a result of these general policies;
(e) the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018 has implications for every website, and it is important that website owners – “Data Controllers” – understand and comply with these new rules. Whilst we may have discussed the GDPR with you during the Fact-Finding process, we strongly recommend that you learn more about your responsibilities in this regard. By entering into an agreement with us, you kindly agree to learn more about and accept your responsibilities in this regard and hold us harmless for our role in your website’s creation. Further information can be found extensively online and on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website: https://ico.org.uk/
(f) the registration details for your website(s) – “WHOis” – will be made out in our company name. If you would like us to amend these details in your name or in your company/business name, we will do so at no charge provided you provide us with at least 30 days’ notice. In such a scenario, we strongly recommend that the Admin and Technical Contacts remain under our control in order that we can manage the domain effectively. Additionally, we can hide the “WHOis” information (subject to domain type) from public viewing for the one-off fee of £30 plus VAT;
(g) we will contact you when the website is nearing completion and guide you through what we have created. We will make reasonable amendments when such amendments are required;
(h) upon its completion, we will walk you through your website and provide basic details about how to update and manage it directly. We may also provide you with a ‘how-to’ document to further assist you thereafter. We are happy to help and answer any questions you may have once the website has been transferred to your ownership upon completion;
(i) we accept no liability for the website once it has transferred from our administration to the Client, or to a specified third party. All reasonable care is taken to protect the site and its visitors from malicious spyware, viruses and other internet-based bugs. We accept no liability whatsoever if the website, and its visitors, are victims of such a cyber-attack;
(j) for security reasons, you must install compatible WordPress updates as and when they become available;
(k) we may carry out maintenance or emergency maintenance of a live site we host at any time if such action is necessary for the provision of the Services. We shall at all times endeavour to keep any service interruptions to a minimum;
(l) hosting fees, if applicable, will be set out in the Agreement. We will normally provide 12 month’s free hosting. The 12-month hosting period starts at the time we purchase the domain name(s) and not when your website(s) goes live. Subsequent hosting fees are non-refundable and the costs shared with you in advance, further details of which can be found below;
(m) the websites we host are backed-up and in the event of data loss – or a website ‘crash’ – we shall provide free recovery services to try and restore the website to the most recent back-up, though in line with other businesses cannot guarantee that the site can be fully restored in that event ;
(n) we will notify you when your hosting needs renewing by email. If you wish to renew your hosting through us, we will raise an invoice for your kind attention with 14-day credit terms. You can transfer hosting to another provider at any time. To do this, simply notify us in writing. we will send you your SQL database files, plugins and WordPress theme as quickly as we reasonably can for you to upload to your new host directly;
(o) we normally include a free .co.uk domain name for 12 months with every website build. We will agree a suitable domain name with you during the Fact-Finding conversation, or alternatively use an existing URL that you already own. You must provide us with access details to the existing domain name. The 12-month period starts at the time we purchase the domain name and not when your website goes live. We are able to register additional domain names for you at their current sale value;
(p) domain names must be manually renewed by us, typically every 12 months. If they are not renewed, your domain name(s) could be sold by the registrar, which is out of our control. This scenario could place your website(s) and domain name(s) at risk;
(q) we will notify you when your domain name(s) needs renewing by email. We will let you know the cost of renewing that domain name based on its current value set by the domain registrar. If you wish to renew your domain name(s), you must respond to our notification and in any event request us to do so at least 14 days before the domain name(s) expire. In such cases, and on the basis that your website is hosted with us, we will not charge you for our involvement in renewing your domain name(s) and will raise an invoice only for the cost of the domain name as set by the domain registrar. Such invoices are payable within 14 days of receipt. Any delay in this process could place your domain name(s) and website(s) in jeopardy and lead to additional costs. Subject to receiving your request to renew within the given timeframe, we will not charge you for renewing your domain name(s);
(r) you can transfer your domain name(s) to another registrar at any time by requesting us to do so in writing and at least 60 days prior to your domain name(s)’ expiration date. This period of 60 days affords us sufficient time to ensure a smooth transition. Subject to receiving this request within the above timeframe, we will not charge you for the domain transfer or for the transfer of your website files. Note that where your domain name(s) have been transferred out, you are responsible for domain name renewals. We can continue to host your website or you can transfer hosting to another provider;
(s) the specifics of what social media activity we may conduct for you, if any, will be included in the Agreement. Where necessary, we will ask you to supply suitable high resolution images and/or other promotional material for inclusion on your social media platforms. You will be provided with the administrative tools and information relating to the social media platforms we create on your behalf. Administration of your social media platforms will pass immediately to you upon approval. We accept no liability for any social media platform once it has transferred from our administration to the client, or to a specified third party. You should be aware of each social media platform’s terms and conditions as these apply to you and to your social media account;
(t) if you transfer your website outside of our hosting control and we have no other connection with it, we will delete the design files we hold on file. In such cases, we will make every reasonable effort to alert you to the fact in advance and provide you with the option of transferring those design files to you. However, if we cannot reach you or if you fail to respond to our emails, or if you make it clear that you will not need the design files in earlier correspondence, we may continue to delete those design files without further notice. We will transfer those design files to you for no cost.
7.5 Blog Tours
(a) Our blog tour service is designed to generate wider awareness of your book by leveraging our network of book bloggers. While we initially book the tour, we do not control the content or sentiment of any posts made by participating bloggers.
(b) Content and Platforms
Blog tour posts are primarily shared on Instagram, with some bloggers opting to post on X (Twitter) or traditional blog sites. On occasion, bloggers may also share content on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon. We do not guarantee posting on any specific platforms beyond what the individual blogger chooses.
(c) Blogger Participation
The number of bloggers participating in each tour varies and is beyond our control. Participation may range from a small group to over 20 bloggers. We cannot predict the number of sign-ups for any given tour.
(d) Materials and Dispatch
We will provide bloggers with the following assets:
(e) Author background/biography
PDF of the book as a backup
Book synopsis
Image of the book cover
Image of the author
We will need these materials provided by the client. Most bloggers prefer to receive physical copies of the book. Once the demand is confirmed, we will supply the addresses of bloggers requesting physical copies, which must be dispatched by the client. Review copies should be received at least six weeks before the tour start date.
(f) Scheduling and Timing
We will supply a schedule outlining when and where each blogger will post. For books close to or past their release date, blog tours may take place several months after the initial request. For upcoming releases, tours can typically be arranged in alignment with the publication date.
(g) Results
While we aim to secure positive coverage through our blog tour, we cannot guarantee the outcome, sentiment, or timing of individual posts. Negative reviews, though rare, may occur.