I came across this job posting today:

0.5 cents per word. Localizing Small Business and Economic Reporting
Job Description
Or submit your best offer to write for local businesses. Be relevant to independent entrepreneurs to fire up the engines of small business owners. Write series and collections. $5 per 1000 word articles; 5 topics minimum. Magazine style content writing. You pick the category that interests you the most.

Yes, that’s right—one-half of one cent per word!

By way of comparison, L. Ron Hubbard started Scientology because he said, “Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous.” That was in 1948, when a penny was worth almost ten times what it’s worth now …