February 15, 2005
A JustMarkets Publication

Welcome, writers!

Today we've got a special treat – a guest article from Elizabeth Hanes about the importance of tax deductions and her suggestions on finding those that nearly got away.

As for today's issue of JustMarkets, from dungeons and dragons and smoky mountains to professional fitness trainers and talking cell-phone tourists, readers are out there waiting for you.

Stephanie Olsen
Publisher/JustMarkets

P.S. TELL A FRIEND! What a nice gift a year's subscription to Just Markets makes! Your writer friend could benefit from the fastest markets online, saving countless hours of searching and scrounging all over the internet for paying freelance markets for writers.

GUEST ARTICLE

Ferret Out Extra Tax Deductions

by Elizabeth Hanes

Maybe you're highly organized. You catalog and file every expense you incur, as you incur it, during your writing year.

Lucky, lucky you.

I'm not quite that organized. I try to keep things filed; nonetheless, every year come tax time, I discover I haven't recorded certain expenses or revenue that I need to include on my tax form.

Due to this lackadaisicalness, each year I have to conduct a systematic information-gathering ritual. At this point, I consider myself a pro. Using my approach, even the most organized person might ferret out a few deductibles they'd forgotten all about. Here's what I do.

Spend 15-20 minutes skimming subject lines of last year's email messages

It's surprising how often I purchase something online, receive an email receipt, and forget to print out a hard copy. This is my chance to find the receipt for that extra memory card I forgot I purchased from OverstockCom last February. I receive business correspondence at three email addresses, so I go through them all. (I find it's also a good opportunity to sort valuable messages into folders and weed out unnecessary messages by deleting them.)

Visit the website of my domain name registrar

My domain names are set to auto-renew each year, so I tend to (ahem) ignore the emails I receive reminding me about this fact. Instead, I go to my registrar's (GoDaddy) site, log in to my account management area, and print receipts showing my expenses for the past year. It's quick, convenient, and provides all my information on one page. Plus, it dispels any myths about what I did and did not purchase during the tax year. (What do you mean I bought that business software in 2003? I was sure it was 2004!)

Visit my web hosting company's site

I pay an annual fee to my web host (Lunarpages), but you may have set up on a monthly recurring charge to your plastic. If you're lucky, your hosting company will provide
your account information in a tidy package, the way my registrar does.

Open my documents folder and look for invoices I generated

Last year, I would have completely forgotten about a small $75 job I did for a client if I hadn't come across the invoice I sent him. Some people might argue $75 isn't worth including on your 1040. I say, play games with the IRS at your own peril. Because not everyone who pays you will send you a 1099 form, it's worth looking up invoices you generated to make sure you're able to account for all the year's revenue. (Hint: to make this process easier next year, create an invoice folder named by year, say, "Invoices 2005." Then save copies of all your invoices to the folder as you generate them. The following April, voila! You can open a single folder that contains all of last year's revenue.)

These little steps probably won't net you thousands of dollars in additional deductions, but they may help you remember —and claim!— those legitimate, little deductions that otherwise slipped out of your brain case. Hey, every little bit helps.

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About the Author: Elizabeth Hanes writes about the important things in life: antiques and wine. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she frequently contributes to AntiqueWeek.

 

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Submit to JustMarkets

Would you like to submit to JustMarkets? We're on the look-out for "how-to" articles helpful to experienced freelancers, written by writers for writers. Humor is good. We pay $10 cash or a three-month subscription to JustMarkets Daily, a $30 value, for non-exclusive one-time electronic rights. Reprints happily considered (as long as they haven't been published all over the net).

Please paste the article (350-700 words), your bio and previous publication info (if applicable) in the BODY of the e-mail message (no attachments - the filter deletes them undelivered!) to submissions [ at ] justmarkets.com.

 

Dungeon

At 100 pages monthly, Dungeon provides an exclusive source for new official Dungeons & Dragons adventures, maps, and other necessary tools for Dungeon Masters, the most dedicated players in the D&D hobby. Dungeon includes content written specifically to help experienced DMs and new players interested in taking up the reins of Dungeon Mastering.

Note: On Jan 18, 2005, Paizo Publishing, LLC, the publisher of DUNGEON® and other special-interest gaming and entertainment magazines (DRAGON®, Undefeated® and Amazing Stories™) announced temporary publication suspension of two of its titles—Amazing Stories and Undefeated.

Query dragon [ at ] paizon.com.
No unsolicited mss.
No simsubs.
Articles to 5,250 words.
Pays 5 cents/word 30 days after pub.
Note that some of the shorter pieces do not pay.

Highly detailed PDF guidelines: http://paizo.com/writersguidelines/dragon_writers_guidelines.pdf

 

IDEA
Health & Fitness Association

3 publications:

IDEA Fitness Journal – a 116 page magazine published 10 times per year for fitness professionals. Keeps pace with the continuing evolution in fitness and follows the crossover and convergence among professionals and training philosophies in the marketplace. Comprehensive sections on personal training, group exercise, nutrition and mind-body fitness along with in-depth CEC features and columns that cover news, exercise science, career strategies, membership updates, business information, program design, management tips, personal enrichment, and more.

IDEA Trainer Success – an all-business newsletter for personal trainers is published 5 times per year.

IDEA Fitness Manager – reaches more than 3,600 IDEA business and program director members who rely on it for reports on employee motivation, client retention, money management and innovative management tools. Also published five times a year.

Written queries preferred; SASE.
Six to eight week response time.
Pays within 60 days of final acceptance.
Purchases all rights.

Guidelines: http://www.ideafit.com/pub_guidelines.asp

February 19 sure was a busy day for JustMarketsDaily subscribers! Online Assistant Editor Compensation: $30/hour Part-time: 20-30 hr/wk Telecommute Please note that this is a contractor position providing services to the Fannie Mae Foundation. This is not an employment opportunity with the Foundation and the successful candidate will be employed & paid through one of our partner temporary firms. Position Summary: Excellent writer/editor familiar with Web technologies, who will assist with developing, posting, evaluating, and updating editorial content on the KnowledgePlex Web site and Fannie Mae Foundation Web sites. Position Responsibilities: * Updating knowledgeplex.org news feed while using strong editorial judgment * Assisting with creation, editing, and production of weekly and other e-newsletters * Proposing, creating, and updating content for other site features (e.g., spotlight, what's new box) * Managing and updating site's taxonomy * Evaluating and posting content from partner and other sources * Proposing, developing, and producing online chats with guest experts * Populating calendar of events * Proposing new content formats and/or sources * Performing regular QA of content throughout the sites * Helping to create advisories and other outbound electronic communications with site users * Updating standing text throughout the sites Qualifications: * Bachelor's degree in English, Communications, Journalism or related field * Two years work experience in an electronic publishing setting or comparable experience * Familiarity with content management systems * Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing * Excellent organizational skills * Sharp eye for details * Ability to meet deadlines and maintain high standards with minimal supervision This is a 20-30 hour per week position and the individual may work remotely from their home. To apply, please send an email with "Online Assistant Editor" in the subject field to: Courtney Chisholm, Senior Manager, Training & Recruitment at cchisholm [ at ] fanniemaefoundation.org No phone calls or walk-ins please. Subscribe to JustMarkets  6 mornings a week; exclusive markets; all telecommute; all paying

 

Talking Street

We are now hiring freelance writers for upcoming Talking Street cell-phone tours.

Writers will create scripts for cell-phone tours of cities and other destinations. Each tour consists of numerous "stops," and each stop concentrates on a particular place. For example, the tour of The Washington Mall includes stops about The Lincoln Memorial, The White House, The Supreme Court, etc.

Our standard rate is one dollar per word.

Guidelines: http://www.talkingstreet.com/jobs/

 

Orato

Orato publishes true, first-person stories that will inspire, anger and delight our readers, while shedding light on overlooked aspects of world issues and news events. Main features should range from 300-2,000 words. They should be accompanied by short introductions and brief sidebars to provide context. We require compelling photos of story subjects, and also run short audio-visual clips.

Pays $100-$400; 30% kill.

Buys exclusive publication rights for 60 days from publication, and the right to license or syndicate your work, for which you will receive 25 percent of any such payments (unless otherwise negotiated).

Guidelines: http://www.orato.com/media/guidelines.html

 

Stephen D. Rogers Presents

An online quarterly publication that showcases one story every January, April, July, and October.

I'm seeking stories of 1000 words (plus or minus a sentence), any genre, with a bare minimum of graphic sex, violence, and obscene language. The story I select will be the one that makes me jump out of my seat in excitement at what the author has accomplished. Stories with a twist are always welcome.

Send your story in the body of an email to submissions [ at ] stephendrogers.com 

Pays US $50 per story (approximately .05 per word) for first publication rights.

Guidelines: http://www.stephendrogers.com/guidelines.htm

Nice comments from JustMarketsDaily subscribers On Feb 9, writer Eileen Key wrote in: "Received a well-paying editing job through your site yesterday! Thanks a bunch." Besides giving me updated market info to pass on, writer Georgia Manry wrote: "I've been a subscriber for about a week and I'm loving it, by the way. Great work =) " Claire-Jean Korzenewski wrote: "I just subscribed yesterday and received my first list today. I like it! I’ve already got a couple of leads. Would you send me yesterday’s list—Feb. 1? I saw some interesting markets in your online sample and subscribed so I could check them out. Thank you for your excellent service." And a great note from Elaine Schneider: "Just wanted you to know that I got another job because of JustMarkets - this makes #3 for me. Thanks for gathering the market info. Then I can use my time for answering the calls for jobs instead of looking for them!"

 

Minnesota Parent

Monthly publication with an editorial focus on providing parents in Minnesota with the stuff they need to raise great kids.

Payment
200-500 words: $30 per piece
600-850 words: $50 per piece
Full-page pieces like our end piece, ParentPeople, (around 1000 words) pay $100.

Note: the average feature story is 1500 to 2500 words. Payment varies, beginning at $200 but rarely exceeds $350 for commissioned material. We pay by scheduled publication and checks are disbursed within 30 days of publication.

Rights
When we assign work, our publication rights include onetime rights for Minnesota Parent and an exclusive for Minnesota parenting publications. We are also purchasing the electronic rights and may place material on our website. If we choose to reprint an article in one of our other publications (such as BABY or Working Families) we pay an additional 20 percent of the original manuscript payment. If we successfully place the material in another parenting publication we pass along half of our earnings to the writer.

Guidelines: http://www.mnparent.com/writing_guidelines/

 

Smoky Mountain Living Magazine

Quarterly, full-color publication dedicated to featuring the history and heritage of the Great Smoky Mountain region, its current culture, and a wide range of activities in sports, entertainment, environment, education, and the arts.

Feature articles: 1500 to 2000 words
Departments: 500 to 1000 words
Highlights: 400 words or less

Pays from $25 (for departments and highlights) up to $350 for major pieces, on publication. Buys exclusive FNASR until the off-sale date of the issue in which the material is published, as well as exclusive rights to the work for promotional reprint and use.

Queries, ideas, and stories with SASE to:
Smoky Mountain Living
ATTN: Beth Robinson
128 Timothy Lane
Waynesville, NC 28780

Guidelines: http://www.smliv.com/writers.htm

*** Direct to JustMarketsDaily *** Experienced Freelance Writers Looking for experienced writers for a number of freelance assignments: currently, looking for writer to re-write, already done, website content to promote attention-catching and bring extreme interest in wanting to use website. Prefer a writer with up-to-date knowledge regarding employment industry in the United States and around the world, if possible. Would like writer to give suggestions, opinions, etc. how to make website better when writing. Writer must have excellent writing skills, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, etc. and be creative in writing content to get people to use website and other services, etc. Writer must be able to complete assignment in reasonable amount of time. Writer will be paid by assignment*. Would prefer selected writer to be available for additional assignments, when needed. Please email** current resume, letter of interest and samples of writings regarding employment industry to Renee at opportunities_unltd [ at ] yahoo.com. *current assignment involves: 5-6 small pages to be re-written using content already present...with some creative suggestions...pays $7/page. **attachments will not be opened. Subscribe to JustMarkets  more exclusive markets every day!

 

Goldenseal

A quarterly magazine published by the State of West Virginia, Division of Culture and History. Accepts non-fiction manuscripts on West Virginia folklife, traditional farming practices, industry and commerce, holiday and community celebrations, immigrants, music, crafts, herbs, architecture, religion, politics, medicine, sports, railroading, and similar topics.

Query first with SASE.
Six month response time.

Note submission dates: Nov 1 for spring, Feb 1 for summer, May 1 for fall, and Aug 1 for winter.

Pays 10 cents a word for one-time use of original manuscripts. Feature articles generally average 3,000 words in length, though shorter features are also accepted.

Guidelines: http://www.wvculture.org/goldenseal/contrib.html

 

University of Virginia

3 publications:

Arts & Sciences Magazine – 32-page, twice-yearly, four-color magazine. With a circulation 100,000, the magazine is published for the alumni, students, faculty and friends of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

A&S Online – comes out once a month and is delivered via email newsletter to 700 people who have signed up to receive it.

Oscar – an online guide to scholarship, creativity and research at U.Va. - Oscar publishes new feature articles every two weeks and is delivered via email newsletter to people who have signed up to learn about our academic endeavors.

The common denominator among all our publications is that they feature interesting people in the Arts & Sciences community doing remarkable work. Our stories tend to focus on alumni, faculty or students of the College. The stories in Arts & Sciences magazine and A&S Online cover a broad spectrum of activity in and beyond the University, while Oscar stories focus on research, scholarship and creativity currently being done by faculty, graduate students and undergrads at U.Va.

Pays about 50 cents a word; all rights; pays on acceptance.
Pays flat fee $250 for online publications.

Guidelines: http://aands.virginia.edu/x754.xml

 

Wanted: Instructors for Online Learning Center: Telecommute

Writer Online is one of the top ezines and web sites for writers on the Internet
today. We are looking for qualified instructors to design courses and teach in
our exclusive Writer Online Learning Center. Subject matter could include
fiction, poetry, commercial writing, magazine writing, technical writing,
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Please respond with a cover letter, resume, publication history, and outline of
proposed course to editor@writeronline.us