Some people get paid $1 per 500-750 word article. It's going to be hard for you to find a job that pays $10 per 500 words. In fact, you haven't even proven how good your writing quality is. Could you provide a public sample?
$1 per 500 words only benefits the clients who actually drill down the price because of the people who don't know how much to charge for their work.
Why else would they seek newbies while professionals can do the job far better?
I think he should stick to that price, because all the offers and bids I got as a content buyer were around that sum, or even more ( term papers or graduate theses for $1 ...
![Huh](https://bitcointalk.org/Smileys/default/huh.gif)
).
Just make a portfolio and go for it and avoid anyone who wants to pay you dollar per 500 words because it is usually one nightstand, they rarely have enough capital or profit to maintain constant inflow plus these are by the rule all the re-sellers who are after the bargains.