Please read this Agreement in its entirety, as you are asked to check a box on your application and with each article submission stating that you’ve read, understand, and AGREE TO ABIDE by the terms and conditions contained in this document.
1.0 Purpose:
1.1 This document is designed to help writers who are interested in writing for BestAllInclusive.com (“BAI”) to understand the the publishing rights and ownership rights to content submitted to BAI, as well as the relationship between Author (you) and Publisher (us), and the policies of the site.
2.0 BAI Overview:
2.1 BAI is the #1 community exclusively for all-inclusive enthusiasts. In addition to reporting on news about the all-inclusive industry, BAI showcases all-inclusive destinations, and educates the traveling public on the specific topic of all-inclusive resorts and the general topic of travel.
3.0 Relationship:
3.1 As a writer for BAI, you are not considered an employee nor is any employment relationship to be inferred. You are a freelance contractor only, but you may feel free to list BAI as a publication outlet in your Biography, resume, or online profile provided you do not imply employment.
3.2 Any articles (and accompanying photos) that you submit (typically by changing the status of said article to “pending review”) will be reviewed by the Editorial Staff over the subsequent 4 business days (in other words, we will notify you within 4 business days if your article is accepted, rejected, or requires additional edits). If you are notified that your article has been APPROVED, you will be advised of the date it will be published.
3.3 The Editorial Staff reserves the right to decline your article, OR request edits. If edits are requested you will have another opportunity to make changes and resubmit your article, and the 4-business day review cycle starts again from the Friday of the week in which you finish your changes and set the status to Pending Review.
4.0 Content:
4.1 All articles must conform to the content and style specifications in our Article Guidelines. These Guidelines also specify what type of content we do, and do not, publish.
4.2 We prefer that all contributions are original, please disclose to BAI if the submission has been previously published elsewhere in any format (e.g. if you’ve rewritten/re-purposed the article to submit to BAI). We will consider reprints — with either a signed release from the original publisher OR written documentation provided by you that you have the right to republish the article (that the original publisher/publication does not have an exclusive right to it) — IF the article has not been published elsewhere within six (6) months and is considered by our editorial team to be both high-quality and in keeping with our editorial strategy.
4.3 You agree that by submitting an article to BAI you are granting BAI the exclusive right to the article for a period of twelve (12) months, during which you may not publish the same article elsewhere, in any form (e.g. it may not be rewritten/re-purposed to pass CopyScape and submitted elsewhere). Any photographs that you submit are considered non-exclusive and – if you are the photographer – you retain the right to sell or otherwise publish your submitted photographs elsewhere at any time. To be clear, this means that the textual content belongs to BAI for one year, but the photos can be resold however you like.
4.4 You agree that (a) you are the sole author of the article submitted and that (b) you have all necessary rights to be able to submit your article and/or photos to BAI and to grant BAI the right to publish it/them, and that (c) your article and/or photos is/are original and does/do not infringe any third party’s rights, including any intellectual property rights or right of publicity or privacy, and that (d) your article and/or photos does/do not contain any false or defamatory material. You agree to indemnify and hold BAI harmless from and against any and all claims, losses, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, which BAI may incur as a result of claims made by third parties arising from a breach by you of any part of this Section 4.
4.5 You agree that your submitted articles will not include affiliate links, masked links, or any links for which you are earning compensation outside of this agreement.
5.0 Promotion of Content
5.1 It’s important for you to understand that part of your responsibility is to help with driving traffic, reader engagement, and social sharing of the post. If you’re not going to be available on the date your article is scheduled to publish (and for a few weeks following) in order to promote the content on your social media outlets and to reply to comments left by readers, please let us know so we can reschedule your article’s publication date.
5.2 BAI will promote your article that is published on our website across our various social media networks. Whenever and wherever possible we will also include a link or tag to your social media account.
5.3 You agree to also promote your content that is published on BAI across your own social media networks.
5.4 You agree to reply to any comments left on your content on the day of publication and for a minimum of thirty (30) days after publication. You may, if you like, continue to respond to comments after that period but are not obligated to.
6.0 Product Reviews, FAM Trips, and “Perks” Policy Overview:
6.1 As a freelancer for BAI, you WILL be eligible for perks such as items to review, FAM trips, and party invitations ONLY IF you are a regular contributor. Perks are not payment and will not be reported as such by BAI, however some resorts DO send the recipient of compensated travel a 1099 for the full value of the trip, BAI has no control over that. The more often that you contribute, the more likely it is that the editors will think of you when we receive an opportunity to assign a trip or product review article.
6.2 The definition of “regular contributor” will be enforced on a case‐by‐case basis, but in general, we would like to see a minimum contribution of at least one article per month.
6.3 The following policies apply to any content (including social media, article submissions, etc.) generated on behalf of BAI. If you are a freelance writer in general and have produced an article that you are simply looking for a publishing outlet for an article already written, you are free to submit that article to us – but any “perks” received must be disclosed, as should the contact info for the subject should we receive any inquiries.
6.4 For writers where BAI serves as your primary outlet, or when you are offered or request assistance from a PR representative for an article you are writing on behalf of BAI, the following applies:
6.4.1 Product Review Policy:
BAI will publish reviews of travel products/gear/apps if we believe they would be of interest to the majority of our readers. The following is our general policies on product reviews:
- Product review opportunities that you receive on behalf of BAI must be approved before accepting them.
- Do not ASK for products unless they are offered, without asking BAI first.
- You must provide BAI with the full contact information for any PR representative that sends you review samples.
- When reviewing products valued over $100, you should offer to return the sample following your review, and advise the PR representative that they should provide proper pre‐paid shipping materials for you to return the sample in. BAI has no problem with your keeping a sample should they decline your offer to return it.
- Any article produced that included the receipt of review products must be disclosed in the article, per FTC guidelines.
6.4.2 FAM Trip Policy:
A FAM Trip is defined as any travel, meals, or event/attraction admission that is offered to you at no cost. We will periodically offer our writers opportunities or assignments to cover places. When we do, the following guidelines apply:
- Any FAM Trip opportunities that you receive must be approved before accepting them.
- Do not ASK for FAM Trips, unless they are offered, without asking BAI first.
- When asking, you should request a “Media Rate” first.
- You must provide BAI with the full contact information for any PR representative that offers you a FAM Trip.
- Any article produced that included the receipt of a FAM Trip must be disclosed in the article, per FTC guidelines.
- While participating in any FAM Trip, it is expected that you represent yourself and BAI in a professional manner. This includes using professional language, wearing professional clothing, and refraining from excessive consumption of alcohol. Additionally, we expect those representing BAI to avoid any illegal or immoral behavior. This includes but is not limited to drug use and sexual harassment.
6.4.3 Other Perks Policy:
If you receive an invitation to a party or event on behalf of and/or due to your relationship with BAI, you must disclose that to BAI.
7.0 Rights and Responsibilities:
The following serves to outline any heretofore unspecified rights and responsibilities as a freelance contributor to BAI:
- For insurance, employment references, taxes, or any other purposes, you are not considered an employee, shareholder, or other legally binding relationship.
- BAI retains the right to edit any submitted article.
- You DO retain ownership rights to any content that you submit to BAI. This includes your right to sell or submit the article to other publications anytime AFTER 12 months following publication on BAI.
- Any article that we print will be properly credited with a link to your BAI profile.
- You are responsible for keeping your profile on BAI current with respect to any website/social media account links, your (Paypal-connected) email address, and your headshot. Your headshot must be a true facing-front ‘headshot’ and not a distance shot of you standing in front of some landmark. Avatars, caricatures, silhouettes, and the like are not acceptable for headshots.
- With respect to your published articles you agree to grant BAI a non‐revocable license to re‐print, resell, and / or transfer this license to any potential future owner in perpetuity.
Questions on any of this agreement? Please ask! Send an email to Editors@BestAllInclusive.com with your questions and we’ll reply as quickly as we can.