Commission Terms
The working agreement behind a private poem, letter, memoir, founder narrative or commercial literary project.
An enquiry is not yet a commission
The project becomes binding only after scope, rights and payment conditions are accepted.
1. These terms and the project documents
These Commission Terms apply to paid writing, editing, interviewing, ghostwriting, literary consulting and related services supplied by RDC Unsaid.
A website enquiry does not oblige either party to proceed. A commission begins when the client accepts the written quotation, scope or project agreement and pays the stated advance or fee. The accepted project documents identify the legal contracting party, billing details, deliverables, fee, schedule, revisions and rights package.
If a project-specific agreement conflicts with these general terms, the project-specific agreement controls for that project.
Name the work before measuring it
Length, audience, format and intended use shape both the writing and the fee.
2. Scope and deliverables
The project documents should identify the deliverable, language, approximate length or format, audience, intended use, interviews, source material, milestones, estimated delivery window, revision allowance and rights.
A material change may require a new fee or timeline. Examples include a new audience, additional interviewees, major new facts, a different form, a longer work, a second language, commercial use, urgent delivery or a new creative direction after work begins.
RDC Unsaid may decline work that is unlawful, deceptive, abusive, defamatory, plagiaristic, exploitative, outside its competence or inconsistent with the studio's editorial standards.
Time is part of the deliverable
Research, listening, interviews and reserved capacity have value before the final file exists.
3. Fees, taxes and payment
- Website prices are indicative or starting prices unless expressly stated as fixed.
- The quotation states the advance, milestones, balance, currency, taxes and separately chargeable costs.
- Work begins after the required payment and materials are received.
- RDC Unsaid may pause work or withhold final usage rights while an undisputed payment is overdue.
- Payment-gateway, printing, travel, transcription, shipping, stock, translation or third-party production costs may be charged where disclosed.
Rights beyond the standard personal licence may be priced separately.
The client must have the right to hand it over
Private stories often arrive carrying other people's rights.
4. Information, permissions and accuracy
The client agrees to provide accurate instructions and to identify confidential, disputed, legally sensitive or restricted information. The client is responsible for obtaining permission to provide and use photographs, messages, recordings, documents, trademarks, lyrics, existing writing and other third-party material.
RDC Unsaid may rely on factual material supplied by the client and is not responsible for undisclosed inaccuracies. The client should review names, dates, quotations and factual claims before final approval.
Where a work concerns another identifiable person, the client remains responsible for lawful publication and any consent or fact-checking needed for the intended use.
Consent before capture
Listening may be intimate; recording is never assumed.
5. Interviews, recordings and participants
The project documents should state who will be interviewed, whether recording is permitted, who may access the recording and the retention plan. RDC Unsaid will not knowingly record a participant without notice.
The client is responsible for ensuring that invited participants understand the purpose and have authority to share company, family or third-party information.
Missed or repeatedly rescheduled interviews may affect the delivery date and may attract a rescheduling fee where stated.
A date depends on inputs
Delivery estimates move when the brief, interview or approval moves.
6. Schedule and delivery
The delivery period begins when the booking requirements, payment, materials and scheduled interviews are complete. Dates are estimates unless the project documents make a particular deadline essential.
Client delay, incomplete material, new facts, scope change, illness, technical failure or events beyond reasonable control may move the schedule. RDC Unsaid will communicate a material delay.
Digital delivery is made through the stated file or channel. Physical delivery remains subject to production, courier and customs conditions.
Refinement, not rebirth
A revision improves the accepted direction. A new brief starts a new piece.
7. Review and revisions
The quotation states the included revision allowance and review period. Unless stated otherwise, the client should send one consolidated set of comments within seven days of receiving a draft.
Included revisions may adjust wording, tone, emphasis, factual accuracy or selected passages within the agreed brief. They do not include a different concept, audience, structure, language, length, rights package or replacement of an approved direction.
Additional revision rounds, late changes or scope changes may be quoted separately. If no response is received within the review period after a reasonable reminder, the project may be treated as accepted for scheduling and invoicing purposes.
Writing is not a measurable appliance
A commission promises a diligent process, not a guaranteed emotional or commercial result.
8. Creative standard and approval
RDC Unsaid will perform the agreed service with reasonable skill and care. Creative response is subjective. RDC Unsaid does not guarantee publication, sales, virality, reconciliation, emotional reaction, reputation improvement, fundraising, legal outcome or business performance.
Approval confirms that the client has reviewed the work for the intended use, including facts, names, sensitive material and rights. Errors raised after final approval will be considered reasonably, but may require a new fee where they arise from client-supplied information or later changes.
Use follows the selected package
No commercial right or assignment is implied by the word bespoke.
9. Copyright, licences and credit
Copyright and usage rights are governed by the accepted rights package and the Rights & Licensing Policy. Unless the project documents say otherwise, RDC Unsaid retains copyright and grants a standard personal-use licence after full payment.
Commercial use, exclusivity, adaptation, translation, sublicensing, ghostwriting and copyright assignment must be expressly stated. A copyright assignment requires a separate written schedule.
Credit and portfolio permission are separate choices. Private work is not published by RDC Unsaid without permission.
Privacy is scoped, not implied beyond reason
The project may choose standard, strict or NDA-backed handling.
10. Confidentiality and data
RDC Unsaid will handle non-public project material with reasonable care and according to the accepted confidentiality option. The client should not send unnecessary sensitive information.
No system is completely risk-free. The client should identify material that requires special access, notes-only interviews, restricted tools, shortened retention, deletion or an NDA before supplying it.
Personal data is handled under the Privacy Policy. Confidentiality does not prevent disclosures required by law, professional advice under confidentiality, fraud prevention, payment processing or protection of legal rights.
Pay for what has happened, not for what has not
Reserved time and completed work are separated from the unearned balance.
11. Cancellation, rescheduling and refunds
The Revisions, Cancellations & Refunds Policy applies unless the quotation states different terms. The client should request cancellation or rescheduling in writing.
RDC Unsaid may retain fees reasonably attributable to reserved sessions, interviews, research, drafting, production and rights already supplied. Unearned amounts will be assessed fairly and returned where due. Mandatory consumer rights remain unaffected.
Some projects should not continue
Safety, legality and trust may require an exit.
12. Suspension or termination by RDC Unsaid
RDC Unsaid may pause or end a project for non-payment, abuse, unlawful instructions, deception, infringement, dangerous conduct, undisclosed conflicts, repeated non-response or material breach.
Where the project ends for a reason within RDC Unsaid's control, the client will receive an appropriate remedy, such as completion through a revised schedule or refund of unearned fees. Where the client caused the termination, fees for completed work and reserved time may remain payable.
Reasonable limits, lawful remedies
No clause removes a right that applicable law makes mandatory.
13. Liability, force majeure and disputes
Neither party is responsible for delay caused by events beyond reasonable control, provided the affected party communicates and takes reasonable steps to reduce the impact.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, RDC Unsaid is not liable for indirect, consequential or speculative loss. For a paid project, aggregate liability arising from that project is limited to the fees paid for the affected service, except where law does not permit that limit or the loss results from fraud, wilful misconduct or another non-excludable cause.
These terms are governed by the laws of India. The parties should first send a written dispute notice and attempt good-faith resolution. Courts and consumer forums with lawful jurisdiction remain available.
Clarify the scope before booking
Mention the service, deadline, audience, intended use, language and whether confidentiality or commercial rights are needed.
Email rdc@rdcunsaid.com · Rights options · Revisions and refunds