How Long Until You Earn Out a Royalty Advance? Here's Some Real Data
If you've ever asked a creator, "When did you earn out your advance?" you've probably heard the same answer every time: "It depends."
Before I earned out my first one, I went looking for actual data. I found a lot of hand-waving and a few book examples, but not much about video courses. Now that I've been through the process a few times, I figured I'd share what I wished I could've found back then: just some anonymized data and rough timelines. No dollar amounts, no drama.
What "earning out" means (in plain English)
When you create something (a book, a course, a piece of IP) you might get an advance. That's basically money upfront, based on expected royalties.
You don't start earning extra until your share of the royalties equals that advance. So "earning out" just means you've hit that point and from there on, new sales or views start adding to your payout.
On some platforms, royalties depend on things like your share of total watch time or engagement. That means timing, topic, and platform behavior all matter. Even great content might earn out slower if the platform changes or the catalog gets bigger.
Why I'm writing this
When I look something up online and can't find a clear answer, I try to post one once I have the data myself. So here's a small slice of mine: anonymized, but real.
Here's My Data
| Course | Length (min) | Weeks to Earn Out | Learners (at Earn Out) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | 50 | ~100 | ~12,200 |
| Course 2 | 128 | ~51 | ~9,300 |
| Course 3 | 78 | ~25 | ~10,100 |
| Course 4 | 168 | ~47 | ~34,400 |
| Course 5 | 39 | ~87 | ~19,600 |
| Course 6 | 43 | ~172 | ~7,600 |
| Course 7 | 96 | ~34 | ~12,500 |
| Course 8 | 211 | ~11 | ~6,200 |
(All anonymized; the patterns are what matter.)
What I noticed
- "It depends" is real. Topic, timing, and even small shifts in how a platform calculates royalties can change everything.
- Length isn't everything. One of my longest courses took the longest to earn out. Another long one was one of the fastest.
- Momentum helps. Later courses earned out faster, maybe because earlier ones built some visibility.
So, how long does it take?
For me, anywhere between 11 weeks and 172 weeks. That's a wide range, but that's the point.
When people say "it depends," they're not dodging the question. It really does depend: on the topic, timing, and sometimes just luck.
But earning out does happen. And when it does, it's a quiet little milestone worth noting before you move on to the next thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to earn out a royalty advance?
Based on real data from 8 LinkedIn Learning courses, earning out can take anywhere from 11 weeks to 172 weeks (about 3 months to over 3 years). The timeline depends on factors like topic relevance, platform algorithms, timing, course length, and existing visibility from previous courses.
What does earning out an advance mean?
Earning out means your cumulative royalties have equaled the advance payment you received upfront. Once you earn out, new sales or views start adding to your payout. Until then, the advance acts as prepaid royalties.
Do longer courses earn out faster?
Not necessarily. Course length doesn't directly correlate with earning out speed. One 211-minute course earned out in just 11 weeks, while a 43-minute course took 172 weeks. Topic relevance, timing, and platform engagement metrics often matter more than length.
How many learners does it take to earn out a course advance?
Based on real data, courses earned out with learner counts ranging from approximately 6,200 to 34,400 learners. The variation is significant because royalties often depend on engagement metrics like watch time, not just enrollment numbers.
Do later courses earn out faster than earlier ones?
Often yes. Later courses can benefit from momentum and visibility built by earlier courses. For example, Courses 3, 7, and 8 earned out relatively quickly (11-33 weeks) compared to earlier courses, possibly due to increased instructor visibility on the platform.
What factors affect how quickly a course earns out?
Multiple factors influence earning out speed: topic demand and relevance, platform algorithm changes, timing of release, existing instructor visibility, learner engagement and watch time, course length and quality, and sometimes just timing and luck. Platform royalty calculation methods also play a significant role.