Writers who want to deal with publishers need this book: The Nine Worse Provisions in Your Publishing Contract by David P. Vandagriff. And it’s currently free!
Vandagriff is a lawyer whose business involves high-stakes intellectual property litigation. He has negotiated major contracts with a wide range of opposing parties, some of which include Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Intel, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Fidelity Investments, AOL, Disney, Hallmark, plus other large publishers, agents and etailers.
He’s also publishes The Passive Voice, a news blog on the publishing business that includes many posts from his lawyer perspective.
Don’t fall for contract terms that turn you into a slave.