And here Scalzi basically explains his issues behind the #1 thing - writers should always be paid first, i.e., advances should always be on the table.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/03/08/advances-and-me/
Of course, this doesn't mean the rest of the contract is all right, the "net royalties after we take out fees for design work and marketing and such" and "we have a contract until the copyright doesn't exist anymore" are also big sticking points for him, the former because, well, publishers are supposed to have "skin in the game" by taking some risk on the author. The latter is just awful in general, in part because of the length of copyright terms.
--
"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/03/08/advances-and-me/
Of course, this doesn't mean the rest of the contract is all right, the "net royalties after we take out fees for design work and marketing and such" and "we have a contract until the copyright doesn't exist anymore" are also big sticking points for him, the former because, well, publishers are supposed to have "skin in the game" by taking some risk on the author. The latter is just awful in general, in part because of the length of copyright terms.
--
"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor