Freelance commission agreement
Thank you for taking part in Huddersfield Literature Festival. We work with and represent a diverse range of performers and facilitators, and pride ourselves on positive and transparent working relationships.
The details below set out what you can expect from us and the conditions for which we are commissioning your time. Our aim is for you to have an enjoyable and rewarding experience at our Festival; if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
General
Arrangements for your appearance will be discussed in advance with you/your representative to agree a schedule that suits both parties.
Huddersfield Literature Festival strives to be inclusive and is against discrimination of any kind. As such we do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour and ask all those involved with us to support a positive and fair environment. We risk assess all our venues for health and safety and are committed to accessibility for as many events as possible.
As a performer or presenter of the Festival, you will be offered two complimentary tickets to your event/s. Please inform our Festival Director of your guests’ names at least 24hrs prior to the event. Further complimentary tickets for you and other events may be available on request.
Payment
We pay all our freelancers a fair industry rate which will be agreed in writing in advance. This is typically an event-based fee. Please inform us on commissioning if you are VAT registered.
After your event, please invoice the Festival (at [email protected]) with a breakdown of your fee and travel expenses, and your bank details. We aim to make payment within 14 working days of receiving your invoice.
We understand that in exceptional circumstances – such as ill health – you may need to cancel. In this instance we reserve the right to withhold your fee and we cannot guarantee we will be able to rearrange your event.
If the Festival needs to cancel your event for reasons such as – weather/global pandemic, low attendance – we will discuss this with you with as much notice as possible, and where feasible offer compensation on a case-by-case basis.
Event Travel or Overnight Stay
In line with our Environmental Plan, we would ask you to consider rail travel over car travel where practical. If not paid for by your publisher or agreed in advance as a flat fee, travel costs are reimbursed as follows: Mileage @45p a mile, capped at £99 total (220 miles round trip – for longer journeys we recommend rail travel).
Standard class return train fare (please take advantage of reduced advance fares if you are booking). In exceptional cases (e.g. for comfort due to health reasons) we will consider a first-class fare.
Taxi fares will be reimbursed for short distances e.g. local travel or travel from your home to the station, please inform us of approximate costs in advance.
If you are required to stay overnight, we will make arrangements for you to stay in a local hotel and cover the cost of the room and breakfast.
Accessibility: if you have any access needs that might affect your travel arrangements, please discuss with us and we will endeavour to accommodate them.
Cancellation
Please let us know immediately if your circumstances change and you are no longer able to participate in the event we have booked in with you. This allows us to suggest alternative arrangements, identify a replacement and let our audience know of the changes so we can maintain our high quality of customer service.
Equally, if, for any reason, the Festival needs to cancel your event we will inform you as soon as we are able and where appropriate will suggest alternative dates/times.
Re: Cancellation fees – please see Payment section.
Promotion & Advertising
We will endeavour to promote Festival events to the best of our abilities both with local and regional audiences, through our website, media outlets and social media platforms, and newsletters.
We understand that authors are often on publicity tours, but if you are booked to appear at other events within a 20-mile radius of Huddersfield around the same time, we would ask that you inform us on commissioning, as this can impact our audience numbers.
For promotional purposes we ask for the following:
– A high-res head shot [min 1MB]
– An up-to-date performer bio (ideally around 150-words)
– Photography permissions during your event
– If you are amenable to interviews prior to the event
– That you support the Festival by sharing information with your own audience (via newsletters, social media, etc.)
Event Sponsorship
Event sponsorship allows us to secure other grant funding, broaden our audience reach and support local commerce, however, we will only work with organisations that are aligned with our Festival values.
Sponsors’ logos will be included in publicity for the event and they may be permitted benefits such as: being a guest in the green room prior to the event, free tickets for staff or board members, first access to book signings, placing branded banners in the venue.
We will always consult you before attaching a sponsor’s name to your event and you will have the right to decline or limit the nature of their sponsorship.
If you are an author…
In addition to the details above on commissioning and cancellations prior to and on the day of events:
| The Festival will… | Our expectations of you are to… |
| Allocate you a Festival Volunteer to support you during your event
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Allow sufficient travel time to arrive in Huddersfield prior to your event[1] |
| Organise technical resources and materials where requested
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Inform us of any technical resource needs at least 2 weeks in advance |
| Agree with you the arrangements for sale of your books at the event, where appropriate
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Support promotion of your event and the Festival itself where appropriate |
| Discuss and agree with you the format of the event and allocated time slots for you to speak/read your work
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Request any access needs you might require upon commissioning (so we can ensure these are met) |
| Inform you on the interviewer or partners for your event in advance
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| Provide time and space for a signing event, if agreed, and check in advance if you are amenable to audience photos
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| Provide you with expected numbers at least one day prior to the event
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| Confirm with you if you have objections to any audience questions
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| Ensure the event finishes on time |
If you are interviewing an author…
In addition to the details above on commissioning and cancellations prior to and on the day of events:
| The Festival will… | Our expectations of you are to… |
| Provide a copy of the relevant book(s) | Adequately research and prepare questions for the author |
| Inform you of any off-topic questions or particularly interesting aspects of the author’s life/books that you are to avoid or explore
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Allow sufficient travel time to arrive in Huddersfield prior to your event |
| Provide a private green-room space for you to meet with the author prior to interview, where possible
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Lead any audience questions at the close of the interview, if agreed |
| Allocate a Festival Volunteer to support you during the event | Guide the author through the questions in front of a live (and potentially digital) audience keeping within the time constraints |
If you are performing at an event…
In addition to the details above on commissioning and cancellations prior to and on the day of events:
| The Festival will… | Our expectations of you are to… |
| Ensure there is adequate space at the venue for your performance
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Arrive on time and prepared for your performance |
| Provide appropriate technical resources such as microphones etc. and/or put you in touch with a technical advisor at the venue, wherever possible
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Inform us of any technical resource needs with as much notice as possible and take into account any limitations of the venue |
| Allocate a Festival Volunteer to the event to support you and any other performers
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Adhere to any time or language restrictions during the event |
| Agree in advance any sale of your books where appropriate | Provide any of the appropriate materials you need to carry out your performance |
If you are a workshop tutor…
In addition to the details above on commissioning and cancellations prior to and on the day of events:
| The Festival will… | Our expectations of you are to… |
| Discuss and agree with you the expected outcomes for participants during the workshop
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Prepare workshop materials in advance |
| Allocate an agreed amount of time to ensure you can prepare and deliver the workshop | Inform us of any technical resource needs at least 2 weeks in advance
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| Organise technical resources and materials where requested
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Support promotion of your event and the Festival itself where appropriate |
| Ensure your time of arrival at the venue allows you time to prepare prior to the start time
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Deliver the content of the workshop as agreed
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| Allocate a Festival Volunteer to your event to support you during your event | Allow the Festival access to any evaluation material you collect, or for us to carry out evaluation on your behalf |
| Provide you with expected numbers at least one day prior to the event |
If you are involved in one of our digital events…
In addition to the expectations referenced above, and details on commissioning and cancellations prior to and on the day of events:
| The Festival will… | Our expectations of you are to… |
| Set up the event on a suitable platform and provide a link
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Have appropriate internet connection to sustain the event |
| Brief you on the event type and expected numbers | Understand the necessary technical requirements and safeguarding measures to carry out the event
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| Provide a moderator/technical support who will attend the event, where possible | Arrive on time and prepared for your performance
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[1] We cannot be held responsible for delays incurred by public transport