While we're all told that what we pay agents to do is the dirty work, a smart writer is educated enough to advocate for him or herself when necessary. Are you confident using and knowing phrases like "choice of law and selection of forum," and "grant of rights"? If not, check out "Negotiating Your Book Contract: 20 'Must' Topics to Talk About" by Brenda Warneka, J.D., C.P.A. on Absolute Write. It's a 'must' read. (I'm being cute with the 'must' because it's in the title of the article; I'm not using sarcastic quotation marks.) Find the first ten here, the second ten here.