Do you have a burning desire to become a full-time freelancer? Are you in a 9 to 5 job that you hate and spend most of your time looking at ways to escape? Full-time freelancing brings its own set of unique challenges but, if you get it right, can offer the flexibility, financial security and job satisfaction that's rarely found in a full time job.

Freelancers and magazines seem like a match made in heaven. The perfect case of supply and demand. One produces content, the other requires it. With each side having something to give and something to gain, what could be easier?

“Freelancers working in the creative industries lose an estimated £5,394 each year through working for free.” Despite a growing number of people choosing to work independently (there are around 1.9 million freelancers in the UK), unfair pay is still a major issue. Fair trade image licensing company, Picfair, have called upon some experienced freelancers from various sectors of the creative industries to share their best advice for setting a fair price.

The layout of your portfolio can clearly have an impact on the way that your work is perceived. Whether you choose to display images as single shots, or set them up in a new format, might make a difference as to whether you get that job or not. We spoke to some inspiring members at Freelancer Club whose portfolios feature an interesting layout or presentation choice. Take their tips to freshen up your profile!

The BIG question of 'How to find work as a Freelancer'  is a make or break one for most freelance businesses and an area that many have difficultly with. Most creative freelancers struggle with this aspect of their business as they simply have no experience in sales or marketing and find the art of finding paid work a problem. In a previous article we conducted a study of where freelancers are finding work and now we're looking into how they are landing these freelance jobs.

Freelancers who write, shoot, design, style, dance, paint faces and just about anything else can benefit from working with magazines. However, not every magazine operates in the same way. From independent passion products to international publications, the manner in which they engage with freelancers can vary dramatically. We spoke to a wide range of magazines across the travel, fashion, employment, and music industries to discuss their business model, their way of working with freelancers and what the future holds for the magazine industry. 

The main reason most freelance businesses fail is that they simply run out of money. Overheads are generally low but generating a steady flow of income can be a challenge. Creative freelancers in particular often struggle with this side of the business as it's not in their nature to go out and hustle for sales. To help see where sales are coming from we dug into the data, went through our stats and asked a bunch of established freelancers where they get jobs from. Here's what came back.

Fashion magazine submissions can be tricky. Whether you're looking to get your work published in Vogue or an independent magazine, we'll explain how to submit your work to top fashion magazines, with the help of photographer and Founder of Afi Magazine, Conrad Lee. We're also giving away a free list of magazines accepting submissions.