Hi, I had a short story accepted by a small press magazine back in 2007. I was told which issue my story would appear in and when that issue was to be published. Now, I never actually received a copy, so I have no physical evidence that my story did appear in print (there are various complicated reasons why I did not chase this up at the time). Recently I've decided to revise this particular story and start submitting it again. The problem is I'm not sure whether or not I should submit it as a reprint (this obviously limits the number of potential markets). I have hunted online for any evidence that the issue in which it supposedly appeared actually exists, but without success. I have also tried contacting the publisher of the magazine, but have received no reply. It's a decent little story, I believe, one that deserves a second chance, but I'm not sure how best to proceed when I can't say with any certainty whether or not it had appeared in print already. So, a forum full of writers seemed like a good place to share my problem. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Did you receive payment? Based on what you've said here, I suggest identifying it as a reprint unless you can somehow verify that it wasn't published. In other words, the only evidence you really have to go on is what the publisher told you - which was an issue and date of publication. Unless you have evidence to suggest the publication didn't happen, it seems to me it is better to assume it was published as promised.
Honesty is always the best policy. Getting caught in a lie, or even a half truth, will stay with you. Also, check with a local or state library to see if they can track down the magazine issue. You should be able to find out with certainty whether the story was actually published.
Thanks for the replies. It was a non-paying market, so there's no help there. I do think you are both right, and the best thing to do is submit the story as a reprint. It's a pity as one of the magazines I had in mind won't accept reprints, but I guess it has to be a case of better safe than sorry. Anyway, thanks again.
