When an author has a book accepted for publication by a publishing house, the terms of the publishing contract are often negotiated in order to ensure a fair and beneficial contract for both the author and the publisher. Contract negotiations often center around payments and specific rights related to the creative work. Attorneys who specialize in publishing contracts are often used by both authors and publishers in order to negotiate the terms of a contract. Royalties and advance payments are both included in a contract. Royalties are the profits from book sales, and authors receive a portion of the royalties while the remainder go to the publishing company. Royalties are commonly negotiated in order to ensure that authors get their fair share of profits. Advance payments are also common in book publishing contracts. Advance payments are up front payments given to an author while a work is still in development by the publisher. Contract negotiations often center around fair advance payments as well as royalties and the copyright rights associated with the work.