In-press article, what happens if I don't pay the fee My manuscript has got accepted and published online as &quot;in press&quot; in an Elsevier journal.
I noticed that it is an open access journal late after its acceptance.
I have not signed any forms yet, but the &quot;in press&quot; manuscript is online.
I cannot afford the cost and asked for a waiver. They declined my request.
Can anybody recommend me what to do?
What happens if I don't pay the fee? Will it affect my chances of future publications in other journals of the same publisher?
Please let me have your thoughts.
Thanks
Can anybody recommend me what to do?

Apologize and retract the paper.

What happens if I don't pay the fee?

Your paper will not be published by this journal.

Will it affect my chances of future publications in other journals of the same publisher?

Probably not.  I doubt they track this behavior.  Many of Elsevier's journals are edited independently, and will not care about a mistake made in a different journal.