Publishing contracts are full of legal jargon, which can be very confusing and overwhelming. It is tempting to skip over all the fine print and just sign the contract and get on with the publishing. But the publishing contract is where (among other things) your author rights are defined.
Below are some links to help explain the contract overall, and to help you find exactly where your author rights are listed in the contract:
Although publishers typically present their contracts as standard "take it or leave it" agreements, they are often willing to negotiate on author rights and other contract terms. However, choosing to do so will likely delay the publishing process.
If you would like to negotiate for more author rights for your work, the links below offer some support:
As they say, if nothing else, at least read the contract.
There could be some items in it that you’ll regret later. If you want to change anything, ask your editor for it: you’ll never get what you don’t ask for, and you won't get denied publication.
And finally, it is your right to ask for support about what your contract means: ask your publishing editor, or us in Scholarly Communications at UNC-Chapel Hill, to walk through the contract.