space rate

noun

1. a unit of compensation for written work, based on the amount of space that the submitted material occupies in print, and usually computed in column inches.

Word History and Origins

Origin of space rate¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

“The first installment appears this week. But the main thing is this: Will you get news for me on a space rate basis?”

From Literature

For by the definition of potential it follows that the electric force in any direction at any point is measured by the space rate of change of potential in that direction or E = � dV/dx.

From Project Gutenberg

Fortune 500 corporations have received a price list which sets $1 million as the space rate for plastering the whole square with product slogans and billboards, or $500,000 for just the red brick Kremlin wall.

From Time Magazine Archive

If a paper has one or more special feature writers on its staff, it may pay them a fixed salary or may employ them "on space"; that is, pay them at a fixed "space rate" for the number of columns that an article fills when printed.

From Project Gutenberg

The space rate paid for feature articles is usually proportionate to the size of the city in which the newspaper is published.

From Project Gutenberg