diff --git a/src/renderer/component/publishForm/view.jsx b/src/renderer/component/publishForm/view.jsx
index 0b4b5bfb2..bbe322e96 100644
--- a/src/renderer/component/publishForm/view.jsx
+++ b/src/renderer/component/publishForm/view.jsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ type Props = {
   editingURI: ?string,
   title: ?string,
   thumbnail: ?string,
+  uploadStatus: ?string,
   description: ?string,
   language: string,
   nsfw: boolean,
@@ -267,6 +268,7 @@ class PublishForm extends React.PureComponent<Props> {
       editingURI,
       title,
       thumbnail,
+      uploadStatus,
       description,
       language,
       nsfw,
@@ -360,6 +362,7 @@ class PublishForm extends React.PureComponent<Props> {
                 disabled={formDisabled}
                 onChange={e => updatePublishForm({ thumbnail: e.target.value })}
               />
+              <p>status: {uploadStatus}</p>
             </FormRow>
             <FormRow padded>
               <FormField
diff --git a/src/renderer/redux/reducers/publish.js b/src/renderer/redux/reducers/publish.js
index 048ca4ac5..c185fdd8e 100644
--- a/src/renderer/redux/reducers/publish.js
+++ b/src/renderer/redux/reducers/publish.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import { handleActions } from 'util/redux-utils';
 import { buildURI } from 'lbry-redux';
 import * as ACTIONS from 'constants/action_types';
+import * as STATUSES from 'constants/thumbnail_upload_statuses';
 import { CHANNEL_ANONYMOUS } from 'constants/claim';
 
 type PublishState = {
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ type PublishState = {
   },
   title: string,
   thumbnail: string,
+  uploadStatus: string,
   description: string,
   language: string,
   tosAccepted: boolean,
@@ -38,6 +40,7 @@ export type UpdatePublishFormData = {
   },
   title?: string,
   thumbnail?: string,
+  uploadStatus?: string,
   description?: string,
   language?: string,
   tosAccepted?: boolean,
@@ -96,6 +99,7 @@ const defaultState: PublishState = {
   },
   title: '',
   thumbnail: '',
+  uploadStatus: STATUSES.API_DOWN,
   description: '',
   language: 'en',
   nsfw: false,