In a buyer's market, the buyer gets to set the terms -- and the magazine industry is almost always a buyer's market. That means writers rarely sit in the catbird seat, unless your name happens to rhyme with "Even Thing." Many editors automatically hand writers the contract their lawyers wrote up for them -- a contract that makes writers cry over its onerous terms. Most writers wipe their eyes and resignedly sign the contract, so editors aren't compelled to make it more writer-friendly. If, however, the writer has the temerity to ask for changes, the editor may be happy to make them. Although the publisher has more leverage with contracts, you don't have to roll over and play dead.