@ewenmcneill @aurynn yes you can always find places that will pay poorly. content farm websites that have writers churning out 3-4 500 word pieces a day are very different from established publications seeking freelance contribution

Also these are very very normal rates. I have been freelance writing for 20 years a few times a year. I have been paid in the $0.25 - $2 range per word for my writing. $500 for a moderately short article, is, in fact, a normal rate at a lot of publications.