So, you've got a contract - congratulations. Now it's time to argue about it. Here is the whole series of posts on how to read a publishing contract. The series works through one of my publishing contracts, clause by clause, explaining what it means and what you should argue about. You can see it as a series of lessons in how to be stroppy, or in how to protect your professional and financial interests. Every so often, I've included a clause from a different contract. This means we can cover mutually exclusive positions, such as writing for royalty and writing for a fixed fee. It might be useful to work through your contract comparing it with this one. Yours may be very different, but a lot of the same issues will be covered.
Don't assume your contract is non-negotiable. And don't be so pathetically grateful that they want to publish your book that you accept any outrageous terms they offer you. Publishing is a business and no matter how friendly and reassuring your editor, they want to make as much money out of the deal as they can. Don't take any notice of arguments like 'we never use that clause'. If they don't use it, it doesn't need to be there. If 'it's just the standard contract' you say that's fine as a starting point but now you are going to make it suitable to you and your book. If they say 'no one has ever objected before' that means either they're lying or no one has read the contract properly and taken a professional approach. So - put your angry eyes in and let's look at that contract!
Introduction to the series and preamble to the contract
Delivery of the manuscript
Illustrations
Permissions
Conditions and acceptance
Author's corrections
Author's name and copyright notice
Responsibility for damage or loss
Production responsibility
Author's free copies
Competing works
Warranty
Indemnity
Outright fees (writing for a flat fee)
Advance, royalty and fees
Other rights
Accounting for royalties
Recording in Braille
Examination of publisher's records (ie checking royalties are accurate)
VAT
Overpayment
Infringement of copyright
Revision of the work
Remainders (ie unsold copies)
Termination of contract
Notices (ie how they will contact you)
Arbitration
English law