Q: I submitted two stories to a nursing magazine after consulting the editor in advance. I was told the stories were accepted, and one would appear in August. So far, no sign of my story, and when I tried to follow-up with e-mails and phone calls, my messages weren’t answered. What more can I do?—Anonymous

A: Editors change plans sometimes and bump stories for more time-sensitive matter, so it’s not overly surprising that your article didn’t run in its originally scheduled month. But if they aren’t responding to your correspondence, there’s reason for concern.
 
What you can do depends on the stipulations of the contract you signed. If the contract states you get paid upon acceptance, then you should’ve been paid by now. If the contract has a 25 percent kill fee and your story’s been killed, you should get that money. If you don’t receive a check and they won’t return your calls, seek legal counsel.

If you didn’t sign a contract with the magazine, you’re unfortunately stuck with your hospital gown wide open in the back, and there’s little you can do. The best move is to politely e-mail the editor and withdraw your articles from consideration unless you receive a contract or notification about them by a specific date. This could lose you the job, but if you’re being ignored then there’s really nothing to lose. And you can shop your article again. Or, hey, maybe the editor will begin responding.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Q: I’m working on a book that includes several passages from e-mail messages I’ve received—stories, poems, quotes, etc. What obligations do I have when it comes to using the e-mails? Also, is it OK to get anecdotes (relevant experiences for nonfiction article topics) from people online through chat rooms and bulletin boards?—Anonymous

A: According to our legal expert, Amy Cook, original stories, poems and quotes are all copyrighted materials, whether they exist on a piece of paper or a computer screen. If you don’t get permission from the people who hold the rights, then you’re stealing their material.

“E-mails are stored—fleetingly or permanently—on computers, so they meet the copyright law’s requirement to be ‘fixed in any tangible medium of expression,’ ” Cook says.‑“If you don’t know who the authors are and don’t think you can find out, don’t use them.”

Using text from a chat room is risky—it’s hard to determine whether comments made by someone using a screen name are truthful. You don’t know if the person on the other end of the chat is a 43-year-old woman with a background in your topic or an 11-year-old boy repeating something he heard on “Dr. Phil.”

Cook suggests trying to have people contact you privately to be interviewed. “When using a chat room or bulletin board, honesty is the best policy—say something like, ‘I’m gathering research for a book/article on X. Would anyone care to comment on this issue for inclusion in my piece?’ ” she says. “This way, responders understand that their comments may be made public, and you won’t invade their expectation of privacy.”

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.