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All this, though, is just stabbing in the dark until publishers know the way the wind will blow.
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I'm one of the few eBooks-only publishers in Germany, and I had some time since 2003 to gain some experience.
After 7+ years I know how much copies a title will sell (no bestselling authors). I know hoch much it does cost to produce an eBook and to put and maintain it online, either on my site or in third-party shops.
To cover my overhead and make a profit in a
reasonable amount of time I cannot offer more than 20-30% royalties. Even then some of the titles will never make a profit, being subsidized by the bestselling eBooks.
I had to reduce my product line by about 100 titles last summer which simply cost me money and never really earned some. No whining, publisher's risk.
If a title doesn't cover it's initial cost in the first two years, it's supposed to be a non-starter and I consider it a loss. Each additional month just is an attempt to regain part of the investment.
My contracts have a duration of 5 years, with an optional prolongation. The contracts only cover digital distribution of the text as an eBook. All other rights remain with the author.
So, you see, some decisions are that of a "classical" publisher while others take into account the new medium. It's a progress. Harder and longer for learn for those publishing houses with printed books.
But then, authors do have more than one choice nowadays. Consider a publisher, consider self-publishing, consider print on demand, consider eBook, give it away for free. More choices than ever. If you don't feel fine with a certain agreement, use one of the other approaches.