HISTORICAL FICTION GROUP COACHING – TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Background

1. These terms and conditions relate to the provision of a group coaching programme by Andrew Noakes (“the tutor”) to historical fiction writers (“the participants”).

1. The terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

What to expect from the tutor

1. Two critiques of up to 5000 words of each participant’s writing, including inline comments and a report.

2. One additional critique encompassing all of each participant’s submissions at the end of the programme. This will be provided no later than four weeks after the programme has ended.

3. One Skype or phone (any phone charges must be paid by the participant if they opt for a phone call) consultation lasting approximately 60 minutes at the end of the programme. This will be provided no later than four weeks after the programme has ended.

4. The facilitation of two peer critiques of each participant’s work each month for six months. Note: The tutor will aim to facilitate these critiques. However, it is beyond the tutor’s control if – for whatever reason – critique partners do not provide the critiques they have been asked for. If critiques are occasionally not provided, it does not constitute a violation of the terms and conditions. However, the tutor will take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of recurrence.

5. Six learning modules (in the form of a video, slides, and a PDF document), one delivered each month, covering different aspects of writing, including 1) language and prose, 2) viewpoint, voice, and tense, 3) plot, 4) structure and pacing, 5) characterisation, and 6) setting.

6. A weekly Q&A session delivered via the group’s private Facebook group. Participants will have 24 hours to submit questions and will receive answers over the course of the following 24 hours.

7. The tutor may be delayed in providing items 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 of this section, and they may not be able to provide item 6 of this section at all in some weeks, if they are: 1) sick, 2) on holiday, 3) lose computer access, or if there is any other reasonable cause for delay or non-delivery. It is expected that the tutor will take holiday during the course of the programme, so participants should anticipate occasional delays and non-delivery as above due to this.

8. The tutor is not obligated to provide substantive responses to individual emails from the participants asking for private feedback on their writing or other questions concerning their writing. Any responses to such emails will be at the discretion of the tutor. However, participants may email the tutor privately to ask questions about the logistics of the course.

What’s expected of the participants

1. Participants should submit up to 5000 words of their writing (and minimum 1000 words) every month for six months. The writing can be new or an edited version of writing previously submitted. It should be from a historical fiction novel or novels (their work-in-progress or works-in-progress).

2. Participants must critique two other writing submissions from other participants every month. Critiques should include inline comments on the submission where appropriate and substantive summary comments written at the end. Further guidance will be provided.

3. Participants may be delayed in delivering on items 1 and 2 of this section if they are 1) sick, 2) on holiday, 3) lose computer access, or if there is any other reasonable cause for delay. Non-delivery is permitted in extenuating circumstances.

4. Persistent non-delivery of items 1 and 2 in this section will be grounds for removal from the programme following one written warning from the tutor.

Programme dates and structure

1. The programme will begin on 1 October 2018 and end on 31 March 2019.

2. The second week of every month will be for learning and exercises (including the monthly learning module). The participants will submit their writing in the third week. Critiques will be due by the end of the final week. The first week of the next month will be an opportunity to digest the critiques. Every week, there will be one Q&A session with the tutor.

3. At inception, each group shall consist of up to six participants and no fewer than five. If participants drop out of groups after they begin, numbers are permitted to go below five. However, the tutor should take steps to replace the participants if this occurs within the first two months.

Participant conduct

1. Participants are expected to approach participation, interaction, and critiquing with politeness and respect. Offensive or unconstructive behaviour is not permitted.

2. Such conduct as described in 1 of this section is grounds for removal from the programme if conducted persistently and after two written warnings from the tutor.

Group platforms

1. The programme will utilise a private Facebook group to facilitate group communication. Google Drive will also be used to facilitate sharing of writing submissions and critiques. Participants are advised to read the privacy policies of both platforms.

Programme administration and payment conditions

1. The programme is administered as a continuous service for the duration of six months. Payments are to be made by the participants in six instalments on a monthly basis starting from the date they agree to these terms and conditions and recurring on the same date for the following six months.

2. The total cost of the programme is £480. Each monthly instalment will be £80, and no more than six instalments of £80 will be taken over a period of no more than six months.

3. Payment should be made via Paypal in accordance with the instructions.

4. These terms and conditions will not be binding on the tutor or in effect until the first subscription payment is made. If the first payment is not setup within an hour of consenting to these terms and conditions, the agreement they constitute between tutor and participant is automatically terminated without penalty.

5. This method of administration constitutes a credit instalment agreement. No interest or charges will be levied on the amount owed by the participants. No late fees will be charged for late payments. However, appropriate legal measures will be taken to recover any unpaid instalments.

6. Participants should not put themselves in financial hardship to participate in this programme. They must only agree to these terms conditions if they are able to pay the monthly instalments.

Cancellation or removal

1. The participants have the right to cancel their participation in the programme with no penalty before the programme begins. Any payment they have made will be refunded.

2. The participants have the right to cancel their participation in the programme before the end of the first month with no penalty except for their first monthly payment, which will be forfeit.

3. After the first month of the programme, participants may still cancel their participation in the programme, but they must pay an exit fee equal to 50% of the cost of their remaining monthly instalments.

4. The tutor is permitted to terminate a participant’s subscription to the programme if they violate the conditions for participant conduct or what’s expected of participants outlined above. Under these circumstances, the rules regarding payment and refund will follow those outlined in 1, 2, and 3 of this section.

5. The tutor is permitted to cancel a participant’s subscription to the programme before the programme begins if an insufficient number of other participants who have been offered places on the programme subsequently decline those places, such that there are not enough participants to form a group, a second group, a third group, and so on. In this situation, the tutor will refund the participant’s payments.

Copyright and confidentiality

1. The copyright of any writing submitted by a participant is and remains the sole property of that participant. Neither the tutor nor the other participants can claim intellectual property ownership over any writing that results from, relates to, or is submitted to this programme. Each participant is free to use any ideas provided by the tutor or the other participants in connection with their writing without providing credit or further compensation to the tutor or other participants. The copyright of the expression of any such ideas within any writing that relates to this programme will be the sole property of the participant concerned.

1. The responsibility for each participant’s writing also remains with the participant. Therefore, each participant agrees to indemnify the tutor and the other participants against any and all legal claims that result from the writing they submit to the programme or which results from their participation in the programme.

3. All writing submitted is confidential. Neither the tutor nor the participants may share, publish, or refer to any writing submitted to the programme except their own, outside of the programme. The tutor and participants may use Google Drive to share writing (thus privately sharing writing with Google Drive) and Facebook to share snippets of writing (thus privately sharing snippets of writing with Facebook) within the programme in the private context of the group.

4. The tutor is permitted to share other participant data with Google Drive and Facebook that is necessary for the administration of the programme.

5. Data processing is covered by the editor’s privacy policy, which the client can review online (https://andrewnoakes.co.uk/privacy-policy).

Miscellaneous

1. The tutor and participants cannot guarantee the success of any participant’s writing following the programme, nor can they guarantee that they will identify every error in their writing. They cannot be held liable for errors missed in the writing or its lack of success (including but not limited to lack of sales or lack of critical acclaim). They cannot be held liable for any errors or losses that occur as a result of the client acting on their recommendations, and the tutor and participants cannot be held liable for any errors they make in relation to their recommendations.