I received the following feedback from an employer who posted a job ad on Freelance Writing Gigs.

I know we’ve talked about how important it is to follow the instructions in an ad and these comments underscore that fact:

I placed ads on several sites (ie, Craigslist and Fresho). The responses that came from FreelanceWritingGigs were the most thorough and professional in that most answered the questions I asked in the ad, which gave me the info I needed to make a decision quickly — and with confidence.

A lot of times when employers place an ad, many respondents will not send you what you need (ie, answer questions that you ask in the ad). This is the way I sort respondents — I immediately put the ones who don’t respond to my query properly in a holding box.

I read through the ones that do answer my questions and — if they’re qualified — I contact them. What this means is that I hardly ever have to go back through the other pile.

Just a little info you might want to pass on to gig seekers.

Information you need to know – straight from the client’s mouth.

This is part of the FreelanceWritingGigs.com network is where we are going to talk about the job of looking for a freelance writing job. We’ll talk about strategies, where the jobs are, and how the market is changing. We’ll even talk about the fact that looking for work sucks.

I hope you will stop by often to visit. I’m looking forward to your comments and want you to share your ideas about what you want to know about and what challenges you are facing when you are looking for freelance writing work.

I’m looking forward to this. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

For this week’s Monday Markets, I have some magazines written for women for your consideration. Skirt! publishes personal essays, while Azizah focuses on issues of interest to Muslim women. Flare is a Canadian publication for women between the ages of 25-45.

I am always interested in finding out which niche markets you are interested in seeing featured in Monday Markets. Do let me know if there is something you would like to see here, and I will add it to my list.

Skirt! Magazine

From the Web Site:

Skirt!® publishes eight to 10 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women’s interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view.

All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,200 words. Submissions over 1,200 words will not be considered. Payment for essays varies. Skirt! buys one-time rights. We reserve the right to edit articles for length and content.

Azizah Magazine

From the Web Site:

AZIZAH is the magazine for the contemporary Muslim woman. This educated woman is confident about her Islamic faith and continually seeks to improve all aspects of her life. AZIZAH magazine presents her aspirations and achievements, reflects her experiences and empowerment, and her contributions and concerns as she seeks spiritual growth in today’s world. It is a magazine that serves as a source of information, inspiration and ideas, as well as a line of connection to other like- minded Muslim women.

All articles should be written from the perspective of the thinking Muslim woman, avoiding a didactic voice, and addressing persons or issues pertinent to her. Pieces should contain unique information, be tightly focused and challenge the readers to think or talk about this subject after they have completed their reading. Original quotes and interesting anecdotes should be used to lift the article off the page and draw the reader closer to the feeling of the piece. Statements about Islam should always be illustrated with Qur’anic ayat, and only sound ahadith may be used as references.

The optimum length of regular features and fiction should be between 1500 and 2500 words, special features are up to 3700 words and viewpoint pieces should be no longer than 1700 words. Rates vary depending on the article, and payment for first rights is made upon acceptance of the article. At present, there is no payment for poetry. Previously published articles are not accepted. If a query is accepted, the writer will be contacted and offered an assignment contract with the terms of publication, article parameters and due date.

Flare Magazine

From the Web Site:

Before you submit a story idea:

• Read back issues of the magazine to make sure your idea fits our general editorial tone and audience – working women between the ages of 20 – 45.
Every year, Flare receives hundreds of submissions of material that are not quite suitable for our audiences. A little preliminary research by hopeful writers would save them – and us – a great deal of work.

• Study the masthead – the listing of our staff by position – to determine if your topic is handled by regular contributor staff or a staff member. For example, most of Flare’s fashion and beauty is written in-house.

When you submit a story idea:

• Please do not telephone with your idea. Briefly summarize your proposal in writing indicating theme, main points you would cover and research to be done, and approximate length of article. Attach your resume to the outline, along with tear sheets of previously published work.

• Do not send original tear sheets which you need returned. Because of the large number of submissions, we cannot guarantee the return of material sent to us.

• Never begin work on the final piece until the idea has been accepted and fully discussed. At Flare, we send our writers an assignment letter confirming the assignment and any pertinent details. Flare will not publish unsolicited manuscripts. Please remember, Flare does not publish fiction.

• We try to reply individually to every person but, sometimes, sheer volume makes this impossible and we must send a form letter.

In this week’s installment of Monday Markets, I’ve got some science magazines for you. Archaeology magazine has been published for a number of years and caters to readers at various levels of knowledge about this topic. Weatherwise looks at something we can take for granted and brings it to life. If you like your science to have a more out-of-this world quality, then consider submitting a query to Astronomy magazine.

Archaeology

From the Web Site:

ARCHAEOLOGY magazine is one of two publications of the Archaeological Institute of America, a 125-year-old nonprofit organization. The magazine has been published continuously for more than 50 years. We have a total audience of nearly 700,000, mostly in the United States and Canada. Our readership is a combination of the general public, enthusiastic amateurs, and scholars in the field. Publishing bimonthly, we try to bring our readers all of the exciting aspects of archaeology: adventure, discovery, culture, history, and travel.

Authors include not only professional journalists but professional archaeologists as well.

What we publish:

Our feature-length articles cover all corners of the globe, from frozen settlements in Alaska to ancient temples on South Asian islands. Archaeology isn’t just about digging, and we’re always looking for a new angle on a subject. Articles (which generally range from 1,000 to 3,500 words) have covered such diverse topics as royal animal mummies, the discovery of an ancient Greek city swallowed by the sea, cultural heritage in Afghanistan under the Taliban, how Native Americans in the Southwest profited from an eleventh-century volcanic eruption, objects featured in the odd paintings of Hieronymous Bosch that have been found in excavations of his hometown, and the battle over WWI artifacts; as well as photo essays on Etruscan tombs and the terra-cotta solders of China; and profiles of people who have made great contributions to archaeology, from volcanologists to tree-ring specialists to Mayanists to novelists.

Our reviews department looks for short (250 to 500 word) articles on museums, books, television shows, movies, and websites of interest to our readers. While the material reviewed may not be purely archaeological in nature, it should have a strong archaeological element to it. Reviews should not simply summarize the material, but provide a critical evaluation.

Letter From… is often a personal rumination on a particular topic or site. “Letters” have included a visit to an alien-archaeology theme park, the account of an archaeologist caught in a civil war, an an overnight stay with the guards at Angkor Wat. “Letters” are usually about 2,500-3,000 words in length.

Conversations is a one-page interview in Q&A format with someone who has made a considerable impact on the field of archaeology. The interview may explain the researcher’s general approach to his or her subject, or concentrate on a specific, and often controversial, discovery or theory.

Field Note features a compelling and intriguing photograph of someone (layperson or professional) involved in an archaeological activity, together with a 300-word first-person narrative of what the subject in the photograph is doing and thinking.

We do not accept fiction, poetry, or previously published articles.

Queries. Preliminary queries should be no more than one or two pages (500 words max.) in length and may be sent to the Editor-in-Chief, ARCHAEOLOGY, 36-36 33rd Street, Long Island City, NY 11106 or via email to editorial@archaeology.org. If you would like a reply to your query mailed to you, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. We do not accept telephone queries. Check our online index to make sure that we have not already published a similar article.

Your query should tell us the following: who you are, why you are qualified to cover the subject, how you will cover the subject, and why our readers would be interested in the subject. Clips and credentials are helpful.

Archaeology buys non-exclusive rights to text and photos.

Weatherwise

From the Web Site:

Weatherwise magazine shares this force of nature with engaging features and breathtaking photography. Weatherwise articles are anecdotal, analytical, and illuminating. They take a creative look at everyday occurrences and are accurate, authoritative, and easily understood by a large, non-technical audience that includes teachers and students.

Please initiate your interest in writing for Weatherwise by sending a query letter or email to Margaret Benner, Managing Editor, Weatherwise, email: ww@heldref.org. The mailing address is Weatherwise, 1319 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036-1802. The preferred format is Microsoft Word.

Your letter should outline the direction of the article, give an indication of your writing style and perspective, tell us why or how you’re qualified to write the article, list potential sources and illustration possibilities, and include clips of your published work. (If you have not been published, please send a sample of your writing suitable for magazine-style work.) We will consider research topics, but do not publish academic papers. Authors are expected to write (or rewrite) in a conversational, magazine style suitable for a popular audience. We get a lot of queries from writers proposing broad-brush articles on global warming, the greenhouse effect, the ozone hole, or El Niño. These are certainly valid topics, but you won’t be able to do them justice in 2,000 words. Look for the story within the story, and emphasize the human element.

We begin planning an issue at least six months before the cover date (i.e., September/October in March). In other words, think hurricanes in January and blizzards in July. We try to respond to queries within two months.

Pay is negotiable and is made on publication.

Astronomy

From the Web Site:

Astronomy is a monthly science and hobby magazine with more than 140,000 readers. The magazine serves readers who want to keep up with the latest discoveries and understand astronomical science, as well as those who want to know what is happening in the sky each month.

Most of the articles used in the magazine are commissioned by our editors. Occasionally, we do publish unsolicited material. To query us on an article idea, send a letter or an outline that describes the piece. If you have not been published in Astronomy, please send writing samples along with your letter. All submissions must include a typed, double-spaced printout. These materials will not be returned to you. You will receive a written response indicating whether or not your article has been accepted for publication.

Send your query to us via our web-based form or mail it to:

Astronomy magazine P.O. Box 1612 Waukesha, WI 53187 USA

Categories of Astronomy stories Science features Descriptive features focus on a particular type of astronomical object or scientific process. News features focus on an area of research and give readers an in-depth look at recent events. Human-interest features highlight personalities, historical events, and special topics such as education and archaeoastronomy. Hobby features Observing features explain where to find and how to view celestial objects and include sky maps, diagrams, and illustrations. Articles can be aimed at beginning, intermediate, or advanced observers. Photography and imaging features provide how-to advice on capturing portraits of celestial objects on film or in digital format. Equipment features range from product reviews to surveys of telescopes and accessories.

Tips for authors

• Read Astronomy to get a feel for its style. Astronomy’s readers are interested in the sciences, with a particular interest in astronomy. They are well-educated, curious readers who are not formally schooled in the subject of astronomy.
• The magazine contains two broad types of articles: features on the science of astronomy and those on the hobby of astronomy.
• Articles typically range between 1,500 and 3,000 words.
• The magazine’s articles must go beyond presenting facts; they must tell a story. The first two or three paragraphs (the “lead”) must grab the readers’ attention and tell them what the article is about. The article should contain a thread, or argument, that develops in a coherent direction as details supporting the lead are delivered and should end in a meaningful conclusion that summarizes its content.
• Use active verbs and avoid the passive voice. It’s much better to write “Astronomers discovered a new planet” than “A new planet was discovered by astronomers.”
• Vary the lengths of sentences and paragraphs, but generally, keep them short.
• Describe complex ideas concisely and with clarity. Wherever possible, use metaphors or analogies relating to everyday life.
• Write to express, not to impress. Avoid needlessly complex terms. If you think the average reader would have to look up a word’s meaning in a dictionary, don’t use it.
• Avoid jargon, lists, and acronyms, except for commonly used terms such as NASA.