List of active policies

Full policy

Technical Support

We endeavour to choose the most user-friendly platforms to deliver this course on. Please note that both Jericho Writers and tutors are not able to offer technical support, so please ensure you have a reasonable understanding of web-browsing before taking this course.

Ultimate Novel Writing Course – Europe Winter

We welcome students from anywhere in the world – and our client base is already very international. This course is open internationally for writers from all over the world, and all online calls and live events will take place at Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Please note that course membership grants access to certain physical events, which take place in the UK. You will be responsible for any travel and accommodation in addition to what is already provided. If you are not able to come to the event, we will make our best efforts to add value remotely, for example by giving you access to filmed versions of events and/or arranging literary agent one-to-ones via Skype or similar. We do not warrant that any such remote-learning tools will equate to the value of the live event itself.

Do note that Jericho Writers has somewhat better connections with literary agents in the UK than the other European countries (though this is changing rapidly.) The agents we mostly work with, however, are very international and are open to clients from anywhere in the world.

Ultimate Novel Writing Course - International Winter

We welcome students from anywhere in the world – and our client base is already very international. This course is open internationally for writers from all over the world, and all online calls and events will take place at Eastern Time (ET).

Please note that course membership grants access to certain physical events, which take place in the US. You will be responsible for any travel and accommodation in addition to what is already provided. If you are not able to come to the event, we will make our best efforts to add value remotely, for example by giving you access to filmed versions of events and/or arranging literary agent one-to-ones via Skype or similar. We do not warrant that any such remote-learning tools will equate to the value of the live event itself.

Do note that Jericho Writers has somewhat better connections with literary agents in the US than the other international countries (though this is changing rapidly.) The agents we mostly work with, however, are very international and are open to clients from anywhere in the world.

Ultimate Novel Writing Course - Summer

We welcome students from anywhere in the world – and our client base is already very international. This course is open internationally for writers from all over the world, and all online calls and live events will take place at Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Please note that course membership grants access to a live event, which takes place in the UK. You will be responsible for any travel and accommodation. If you are not able to come to the event, we will make our best efforts to add value remotely, with an online alternative event. We do not warrant that any such remote-learning tools will equate to the value of the live event itself.

Do note that Jericho Writers has somewhat better connections with literary agents in the UK than the other European countries (though this is changing rapidly.) The agents we mostly work with, however, are very international and are open to clients from anywhere in the world.

Your Participation

The course works best if you participate in the course and write your novel along broadly speaking the timetable allowed for in the course material. That said, we understand that life can be unpredictable. All students will have lifetime access to course material. Webinars will be recorded and available for replay. We will be happy to extend your access to all digital material for as long as you need. And your assigned tutor will be as flexible as possible if you are obliged to submit work late. In short, we will do what we reasonably can to accommodate life-hiccups.

Qualifications

This course does not confer any type of academic qualification, nor will students study literary theory or English literature more generally. If students want those outcomes, they would be better off exploring Masters courses in Creative Writing or Fine Arts.

Students should also expect to self-fund their course. We are not aware of government or charitable bodies that are likely to offer funding.

Outcomes

This course has been prepared by experienced editors in conjunction with Jericho Writers, an internationally respected authority on the process of getting writers published or successfully self-published. For the sake of clarity:

• We cannot guarantee that students will end up securing the services of a literary agent and/or get traditionally published. If a student is traditionally published, there is no guarantee that the financial and other elements of the resultant deal will be satisfactory.
• We cannot offer any guarantee as to the successful outcome of any self-publishing venture.
• Timings are exceedingly hard to predict. Some writers find themselves speeding through the journey to publication; for others, the process may take a decade or more – or it may never happen.
• Our editorial advice is simply that: advice. Students may or may not choose to accept it. They may or may not welcome it. Other third-party editors may or may not identify similar problems and/or recommend specific solutions.
• Similarly, with our advice on publishing, marketing, self-publishing and related topics. We seek to be informed, intelligent and current with our advice, but our advice may or may not be accepted by students and other third parties may recommend strategies other than those we propose.

In short, though this course is vocational in nature, we cannot guarantee that students will secure the outcomes they want, and that our advice, though experienced, will never be the final or only word on a given topic.

Changes

From time to time, a tutor may not be available as scheduled. In those cases, a capable replacement will be made available, where possible. In the event a course session is cancelled, we will endeavor to provide an alternative session, but shall not be obliged to do so, and no part of this course shall not be refundable.

We may also, from time to time, choose to alter the specific subject matter of what is being discussed. In general, the services and benefits of this course should be viewed as a whole, and our primary obligation is to deliver the course such that its overall objectives are effectively fulfilled.

Refunds

Before the course starts

There is a £750 non-refundable deposit when you sign up onto the course. If you make payment for the course and are forced to cancel, we will seek to resell your place. If we are successful, you will receive a full refund, minus the non-refundable deposit of £750.

If we are reselling your place with very little notice, we may be obliged to offer discounts to secure update. This will impact the total refund you will receive once your place is replaced.

If we are not successful in reselling your place, you will not receive a refund.

Once the course starts

If for any reason you have decided to leave the course after the course starts, you will still be liable for the full fees, both if you have elected to make payments via one lump sum or an instalment plan. Our tutors and staff have committed a large part of their time to be part of the Ultimate Novel Writing Course and your fees contribute to their livelihood. When joining the course, you are committing to this commitment and so a refund would not be possible.

Jericho Writers reserved the right to remove any course participant from the course, as detailed below.

Drop Policy

If a student contacts us to defer or cancel

According to our refund policy above, students will not get a refund for cancelling or deferring on the course. However, we will try our best to understand the situation and find the best solution per individual case.

We will remind students that they can take various aspects of the course at different times (mentoring, manuscript assessment, networking etc) and Course content will remain available for them.

We will, to our best efforts, make sure that tutor fees aren’t reduced due to dropping students, and we will remind students who contact us to cancel that their fee goes towards their tutor’s wage and it wouldn’t be possible to refund.

However, we will try our best to make students happy and to not make them feel forced to stay on the course. This might mean offering them different services with Jericho Writers or a partial refund.

If a student wants to change groups

Changing groups is only possible if there are two students who want to swap groups. Ideally, students will talk to other students to find out whether anyone would like to swap and then let us know. This also depends on whether the tutors are happy with this decision.

If a mentor reports a student

If a mentor reports a particular student, expressing that they do not believe the mentorship is working positively, we will look into the possibility of placing them with a different mentor on the course. If we believe that the student is not well-suited for the course, we will aim to consider different outcomes for the student.

If a student is not following our guidelines

If a student is not following our guidelines, we will issue them with a warning, telling them that further similar actions could result in them being removed from the course or from participating in particular aspects. If the student is still disruptive, we will take further actions.

If a student is asked to leave the course

If Jericho Writers and the tutor believe that a student should be asked to leave the course after ignoring warnings, we may do so.

A student may be asked to leave the course for breaching one or more of our Code of Conduct, as found below. They will be given one warning before being asked to leave.

We will offer the students solutions based on the situation. If the problems are related to other students, we might remove the student from the mentor group and continue the course as normal.

If the issue goes beyond that and related to the tutor, the student will be asked to leave the course indefinitely. We will try to find a solution for the student that would include using their funds in either separate mentoring or other Jericho Writers services that are better suited for their needs.

Code of Conduct

As a student on the Ultimate Novel Writing Course:

• I will try to follow all tutorials and complete homework tasks to the assigned deadlines (students will not be penalized if they are unable to complete tasks for any reason).
• I will keep in correspondence with my mentor to organize and attend mentoring sessions.
• I will take part in peer-feedback and be respectful and polite when doing so, following the course feedback guidelines.
• I will treat all work equally, no matter the genre or topic.
• I will take onboard constructive feedback from my peers and mentor/tutors.
• I will commit to working on my manuscript with the aim of having a completed manuscript by the end of the course but we understand that life can get in the way and we will support you regardless.
• I will join in with all calls, webinars and writing sprints when I am available.
• I will keep my tutor/mentor and the Jericho Writer’s Courses and Mentoring team informed about any changes to my personal or financial circumstances which might prevent me from completing the course.
• I will not act in an unfriendly or unpleasant manner to my fellow students, tutors/mentors or Jericho Writer’s staff.
• In my communications with course participants and tutors, I will not use racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, sexually explicit or abusive terms or images, or swear words or language which is likely to cause offense. We do not tolerate hate in any form.
• I may engage in debate where appropriate to the learning experience but I will not deliberately attack or offend others.
• I will not insult, harass, or bully any of my peers or tutors in anyway. I will aim to be honest, critical and kind in feedback and communication.

Privacy Policy

For the Jericho Writers website policy, see here: Privacy Policy – Jericho Writers

At Jericho Writers, we’re committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

This Policy explains when and why we collect personal information about people who use the online classroom, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others and how we keep it secure.

We may change this Policy from time to time so please check this page occasionally to ensure that you’re happy with any changes. By using our online classroom, you’re agreeing to be bound by this Policy.

You can ask any questions regarding this Policy via info@jerichowriters.com. We’ll do our best to respond fast and helpfully.

Who are we?

We’re Jericho Writers, a company designed to help and support writers on their journey. We were founded by writers for writers and, although of course we want to make a profit, we always try to keep writers’ interests uppermost in our mind.

How do we collect information from you?

We obtain information about you when you enrol on our online courses.

What type of information is collected from you?

The personal information we collect might include your name, email address, location, IP address, and personal information you add to your profile, including images, bio, links to your website, social media channels, or other third party sites you may have chosen to share. We do not collect or store any bank card information or similar at any point – payment takes place only through highly reputable and secure third party services.

In order to deliver the course you have signed up for we may also collect the following information:

• Details of the course(s) you are enrolled on
  
• Details of your interaction with the online course materials, including which pages you have read, videos watched, forums you have posted to, whether you have completed sessions, and so on
• Anything you share within the online classroom, including:
• Work you upload to any classroom forums, in any format, including text or images pasted within a forum post, Word, .rtf, .PDF, .jpeg, .png, or other downloadable/portable files
• Forum discussions you start
• Comments and replies you make on any forums
• Transcripts of live chats you have taken part in
• Contributions to recorded live group sessions on Zoom.
  

How is your information used?

We may use your information to:

• Complete the delivery of a service you have requested
• Respond to a question
• Adapt our site to your particular interests
• Carry out any contractual obligations we may have towards you
• Communicate with you via regular newsletters
• Otherwise fulfil our purpose as a writer- and member-focused organization

We review our retention periods for personal information on a regular basis. In particular, we aim to maintain a ‘clean’ email list, so that unengaged subscribers are quietly dropped from our communications, and their data deleted.

Who has access to your information?

Your course tutor, moderator and the team responsible for managing the online classroom can see any information you share in the classroom, including everything listed above.

Online classroom guests, who may join the course to take part in a live session as part of your learning, will only see your name and profile image (if you've added one).

Other people in your course group can see your name and any information you choose to add to your personal profile. They will also be able to see your forum posts and comments, contributions to live chat and Zoom sessions and any private messages between you and them. This is so you can get to know each other and to facilitate group learning.

The others in your group cannot see or track your progress on your course (ie they will not know which pages you've read, which videos you've watched, and so on).

Your email address is not shared with anyone in your course group unless you change your profile settings to make it visible, or if you choose to share it with your group on a forum post, live chat discussion or in any other way. For privacy, we recommend that you do not share your email with anyone other than a tutor or moderator and that you use the forums and messaging within the online classroom instead.

We will not sell or rent your information to third parties.

We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

When you make any online payment with us, your payment will be processed by a third party payment processor, who specializes in the secure online capture and processing of credit/debit card transactions.

Aside from that, the only people who will ever handle your data are the responsible officers at Jericho Writers or some highly reputable tech-consultants, with whom we work closely and trust absolutely.

Your choices

You have a choice about whether or not you wish to receive information from us. If you do not want to receive our marketing communications, then you are free to unsubscribe at any time. We’ll always make it easy for you to do that. (Look for a simple ‘Unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of every email.)

We will not contact you for marketing purposes by email, unless you have given your prior consent. We will not contact you for marketing purposes by phone, SMS or direct mail. (We may however phone you if you have supplied us with your phone number and if we need to get in touch in relation to the provision of a service you have requested).

How you can access and update your information

If you want to update your information on our website, you can do that directly via your “My Account” page on the main Jericho Writers site – or you can email us for help at  info@jerichowriters.com or by contacting us on our 'Get in Touch' page. In the online classroom you can update your information on your Profile page.

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you, and we’ll be happy to oblige – free of cost. We’re like that. 

Within the online classroom you are in control of what information you include in your personal profile, and you can update your profile settings at any time, including:

• Changing your password

• Changing the email address we use to send you notifications from the online classroom, or stopping all email notifications

• Changing your personal bio, including adding or removing an image

• Adding, updating or deleting links to your website, social media channels, blog or other third party sites

If you're not sure how to change your profile settings, please contact your course moderator or tutor.

In live  Zoom sessions, you can control your privacy by choosing whether to have your video and/or audio switched on or off.

Security precautions to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of your information

When you give us personal information, we take steps to ensure that it’s treated securely. Any sensitive information (such as credit or debit card details) is encrypted and protected with the following software 128 Bit encryption on SSL. The ‘lock’ icon on your browser will confirm that security protocol is in place.

Non-sensitive details (your email address etc.) are transmitted normally over the internet, and this can never be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your information, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems. Where we have given (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our websites, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your passwords with anyone.

Profiling

We try to make sure that we only tell writers about things that they’re likely to be interested in. That means that we will try to build a picture of your interests (eg: are you more interested in finding agents? Or self-publishing?) and modify our communications accordingly. That’s not meant to be sinister – it’s meant to be helpful!

Use of ‘cookies’

Like nearly all modern websites, our site uses cookies. ‘Cookies’ are small pieces of information sent by an organization to your computer and stored on your hard drive to allow that website to recognise you when you visit. They collect statistical data about your browsing actions and patterns and do not identify you as an individual. For example, we use cookies to store your country preference. This helps us to improve our website and deliver a better more personalized service.

It is possible to switch off cookies by setting your browser preferences. Turning cookies of may result in a loss of functionality when using our website.

See our fuller Cookies information here.

Links to other websites

Our website and online classroom may contain links to other websites run by other organisations. Obviously, we’re not responsible for the privacy policies of those other organisations.

16 or under

We are concerned to protect the privacy of children aged 16 or under. If you are aged 16 or under‚ please keep your parent or guardian properly informed. We are a responsible, thoughtful and non-spammy site . . . but we are a bunch of writers, and writers do sometimes talk explicitly, write scenes involving violence, and so on.

Holding your data outside the UK

We are a small, UK-based company, but our client base is global and our website is hosted via a technology that deploys servers worldwide. This means that your data may be collected and stored outside the UK, and the privacy policies which apply in those jurisdictions may of course be different. That said, the vast majority of our server use is in the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union and other highly reputable jurisdictions. We’ll go on working, carefully, with highly responsible server partners.

Your communications with us

If you contact us with positive feedback about one of our services, we may use that comment in our promotional literature. We do not identify users with their full name, simply with a first name and an initial. (e.g. “What a great service – Ali J”). If you don’t want your comment to be used even in this restricted way, then please just tell us and we will honor your preferences.

Website analysis

We want our users to have a good experience on our website, so we will from time to time engage in analytical exercises that follow user behaviour on the site, and those exercises may involve significant data collection. That said, the data thereby collected is anonymous and collated into large statistical aggregates. We’re interested in users-in-general – we’re never going to spy on you!

Klarna

In order to offer you Klarna’s payment methods, we might in the checkout pass your personal data in the form of contact and order details to Klarna, in order for Klarna to assess whether you qualify for their payment methods and to tailor those payment methods for you. Your personal data transferred is processed in line with Klarna’s own privacy notice.

How to Find Out More

If you want to know more about your information and privacy, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website has a lot of good, clear information. The ICO is the UK's independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.

Online Learning Platform Terms and Conditions

Your online classroom account and its security

You'll need to give us your correct name and email address so we can set up your online classroom account. We'll give you a username and password and you'll need to change the password the first time you log in to the classroom. 

For security, you must keep your login details confidential and not share them with anyone. You're responsible for any and all use of your account. You must tell us immediately if your account is used without your permission or if you become aware of any breach of security. 

Availability of the online classroom

We aim to keep the online classroom open 24/7/365 except for routine updates or maintenance. When these are planned we'll post a notice on the classroom home page. 

The classroom, and everything in it, including course materials, forums, chatrooms and private messaging areas, are provided ‘as is' without warranty of any kind. While we aim to make the classroom available, accurate and secure, we cannot guarantee that it will be error-free, run uninterrupted, that defects will be corrected, or that the site or its server will be free of viruses or other harmful components. You use the online classroom solely at your own risk. 

Using the online classroom

You must not use any robot, spider, crawling, scraping, or other automated device, process or means to access the online classroom. You must not use any device, software, routine, or take any action that interferes with the proper working of the site.

We provide forums, chatrooms and messaging to support your learning, networking and socialising with other people in the online classroom. You are responsible for any and all content that you share on your personal profile and on the forums, chatrooms, messaging and anywhere else in the online classroom. We have a code of conduct to help you, which you must follow at all times (see Code of Conduct above). 

Because the online classroom is a place to experiment with and explore ideas, we do not want to censor anyone's work. So by using the classroom you understand and agree that despite our guidance on conduct you may be exposed to content that you may consider offensive, indecent or objectionable. 

If your work includes any sensitive content that other people may find upsetting or offensive, you should include a warning when you share that work anywhere within the classroom.

All classroom discussions during the course or service are private and confidential. You agree to keep confidential any information and/or material, which is divulged by other students, tutors, moderators, administrators and guests (either written, online or oral) both during and after the course or service. You agree not to make any audio or visual recordings of the sessions (whether delivered through the online classroom, Zoom, Zoom, phone or other messaging service), the work of tutors, moderators, guest speakers or of other students. We may monitor and review any content shared in the online classroom and have the right to pre-screen, refuse, move or remove any content at any time, at our sole discretion. This includes, but is not limited to, any content that violates these terms and conditions. 

If you have any questions or concerns about any content shared in the online classroom, please raise them with your course tutor or moderator. 

We cannot control or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, usefulness, integrity or quality of any content shared by other people in the classroom. This means that we are not liable in any way for any such content, including any errors or omissions, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any content shared in the classroom.

Emails sent from the forums

Whenever you post your work to one of the online classroom forums a copy of your post is emailed to everyone in your course group, including tutors, moderators, and our classroom administrators. These posts will often contain a learner’s written work and, as such, the copyright of individual forum posts belongs to the person who wrote them (see Copyright and IP below). 

You are not permitted to reproduce, record, copy, distribute or share those emails in any format at any time during or after your course or service. By posting to the forums, you agree and accept that your posts will be emailed to your course group. 

We have no control over what happens to such posts after they have left the online classroom and we cannot control or guarantee that they will not be copied, shared or distributed by the recipient(s). We therefore ask everyone who uses the online classroom to respect the work of others and not share it in any way. 

If you wish to stop receiving forum emails you can update your message settings in your profile. However, your posts will continue to be emailed to your course group, even if you opt out of receiving emails yourself. 

Copyright and IP

Our copyright

All classroom, course and service materials, whether provided via the online classroom, by email, phone or post, are owned by or licensed to Jericho Writers or used with permission, and are protected by UK and international copyright, trademarks, database rights and/or other intellectual property rights. This includes, but is not limited to, podcasts, videos, written lectures, notes and transcripts, quizzes, forum content and discussions, images, graphics and photographs, as well as the design, logos, layout and appearance of the classroom.

You may use all provided materials during your course or service, but you are not permitted to reproduce, record, copy, distribute or share them in any format at any time during or after your course or service. 

Your copyright

You retain copyright of any work you produce during your course. You warrant and indemnify that any such work shall be your own and shall not infringe the copyright ( or any other intellectual property right) of any third party. This warranty shall survive any cancellation or termination of the course. We do not assert ownership rights over the content you post, transmit, or otherwise make available for inclusion on the forums, chatrooms, messaging or anywhere within the classroom. 

Copyright of work produced by third parties

Our online classroom has a Further Education Licence from The Copyrighting Licensing Agency Ltd. This licence allows us to photocopy, scan or make digital copies of extracts from books, journals and periodicals, magazines, law reports, ebooks, e-journals and some websites, for the benefit of our students and staff in connection with the course or service that you are taking. 

Our online classroom has an ERA Licence to make recordings or copies of TV and Radio programmes and online or on-demand services for educational use. The copyright of these materials belongs to their original author(s). As such, you may use the copied materials we provide during your course or service, but you are not permitted to reproduce, record, copy, distribute or share them in any format at any time during or after your course or service. 

Indemnification

You will defend, indemnify, and hold Jericho Writers, our affiliates and agents harmless from:

• Your access to and use of the online classroom
• Your violation of any of these terms and conditions
• Your violation of any third-party right, including any copyright, trademark, trade secret, or privacy right of any content in the online classroom.

This indemnification will continue after your course or service, and your use of the online classroom, has ended.

Limitation of Liability

In no event will jericho Writers, our affiliates or agents be liable for any indirect, consequential, special, incidental or punitive damages arising out of your access to, or use of, the online classroom or its contents, including any co-branded site, whether in a contract action or based on negligence, or other tort action, or any other claim whatsoever, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damage.

Violating these Terms & Conditions

If you violate any of these terms and conditions we may suspend your access to the online classroom. If this happens, you will not be entitled to a refund. Depending on the violation, you may be investigated and appropriate legal action may be taken, including civil, criminal and injunctive redress.