The publishing fee

Publishing a course costs $3.00 plus $0.10 for every gigabyte of images, audio and files in its lessons, rounded to the cent. It is charged once, to the card on file in the Creator Dashboard, the first time the course goes live. Free courses pay it too.

How it works

The size is what the course's lessons hold now: every image, audio clip and file uploaded to a lesson block, drafts included. Removing a block takes its size off. Each upload can be up to 25 MB. These do not count:

• Video, because a video block embeds it from YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia or Loom rather than storing it here.
• Images and audio linked from another site.
• The photos and videos on the course's landing page.
• Diagram images in quiz questions, and the files students hand in.

An example

Price & Access and the publish screen both show the fee for your course's current size before you publish.

When it is charged

We charge the fee when you choose Publish course on the publish screen, then publish the course. If your bank wants to approve the payment, it takes you to its page and back. We email you a receipt.

Each course pays once. Unpublishing a course and publishing it again is free, and so are files you add later and Release new content on a live course. Every new course pays its own fee.

The card is in Creator Dashboard → Payouts → Payment Methods, under Publishing Fee Card: choose Add Payment Method, or Update to change it. It is separate from how you are paid. The publish checklist asks for it on any course whose fee is unpaid.

Refunds of the fee

The fee is not refunded when you retire a course, however soon. We refund it only when we remove or hide a course through no fault of yours. One example is a third party's legal demand about material you had the right to use. A course removed for breaking our policies keeps its fee.

A refund goes back to the card you paid with, usually within 5 to 10 business days, and we email you. If that course is later restored, publishing it again charges the fee again. Section 2 of Creator Earnings & Payouts has the terms.

If something goes wrong

The publish screen shows the message after Couldn't publish. Nothing is charged twice, whatever the message.

"No card on file…"

Add a card under Publishing Fee Card, then publish again.

"Your bank did not approve the publishing fee…"

Nothing was charged. Try again, or add a different card.

"Your card was declined…"

Update the card under Publishing Fee Card and publish again.

"The publishing fee is still waiting on your bank…"

Wait a minute, then publish again.

"The fee was charged but could not be recorded…"

Publish again. You are not charged a second time.

"This course is not ready to publish yet…"

Refresh the publish screen and clear what is still open on the checklist.