For Writers of Original Fiction

When you're ready to shop your manuscript around and you don't have an agent there are a few things you can do the help keep from getting eaten alive by the less than honorable.

The first thing you can do is to check up on the reputation of the publisher by looking them up here at Preditors and Editors:
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/peba.htm
Preditors and Editors is a great way to see if the publisher is legit or a scam. (They also look at agents and other issues within the publishing industry and not just for writers but for composers, game designers and artists as well).

If you don't see the publisher listed it could be that the company is new or has changed its name. So the next thing you can do is to ask Victoria Strauss, A.C. Crispin and Richard C. White over here at Writer Beware:
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/
They specialize in checking up on publishers and agents to help keep young writers from the clutches of the disreputable.
"Writer Beware’s mission is to track, expose, and raise awareness of the prevalence of fraud and other questionable activities in and around the publishing industry."
They will probably be able to provide you with some info on the publisher.

After you've checked the publisher's rep (and it's ok with you) you should ask them about any parts of the contract you aren't clear about. A reputable publisher will answer your questions straight up.