Alta Member FAQ

How do I subscribe to Alta Journal?
To become a member, please go to altaonline.com/join. 

What does my annual membership include?
An Alta membership is $50 annually and includes: 

Can I give someone an annual gift subscription?
Yes. If you have an account, log in and click on Give a Gift. Otherwise, go to altaonline.com/gift. 

How do I log in to my account?
Go to altaonline.com/sign-in to sign in. 

How do I make changes to my email address or mailing address, change my password, or find out when my subscription expires?
Log in to your account at altaonline.com/sign-in. 

I just subscribed. When will my first issue arrive?
You will receive your first issue within three weeks from the day you placed your order. New issues come out quarterly—in early January, April, July, and October. 

Will my subscription auto-renew each year?
Yes. About six weeks prior to your subscription renewal date, you will receive a postcard in the mail letting you know that your subscription will be renewed shortly. If you do not wish to renew, check the opt-out box and mail us back the postcard. If you do nothing, you will be automatically renewed for another year. 

The latest issue hasn’t arrived. Whom can I contact?
Please email Alta member services at support@altaonline.com. 

Whom do I contact about a billing issue?
You can email Alta member services at support@altaonline.com.

How do I cancel my Alta membership?
Sign in to your account at altaonline.com/sign-in. Go to the Alta home page and click on the hamburger icon to the left of the Alta logo in the top left corner of the page. Select Member Support to access your full account page. Then select My Subscription. In the Actions drop-down menu in the right-hand column, select Cancel. Your subscription will immediately be canceled.  

Do you ship outside the United States?
Not currently, but we hope to in the future. 

Can I buy a single issue or a back issue of Alta?
Yes. Go to the Alta store at store.altaonline.com. 

Is there a digital version of Alta?

Yes. You can now read every issue on our mobile app. Simply download the Alta Journal app here for iOS and here for Google Android.

Once you have downloaded the app to your device:

1. Tap on Profile.

2. Tap on Sign In.

3. Enter the email address or account ID that you use with your Alta account.

4. Tap on Sign In.

5. Tap on the Library tab to access your Alta issues

Can I access Alta issues at altaonline.com?

Yes. All past issues of Alta are available online. Stories from the current issue are released throughout the quarter, and the full issue becomes available once the next issue hits newsstands. Go to altaonline.com/archives.

How do I sign up for the Alta weekly newsletter?
Go to join.altaonline.com/alta_newsletter. The latest issue will hit your inbox every Thursday morning. 

How do I contact the editorial team to submit an idea for a story?
Please email info@altaonline.com. 

What are Alta Live events?
Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time, Alta Live brings our pages to life online in lively 30-minute interviews with authors and other contributors from the journal. To see past or upcoming events, or to register, go to altaonline.com/events. 

Once you register for an Alta Live event, you’ll receive an email with the livestream link 20 minutes before the show begins. 

What is the Alta Clubhouse?
The Alta Clubhouse is a virtual gathering place where you can join the editors, contributors, and members of the Alta community to connect and share your ideas, experiences, and love of the West. 

Go to members.altaonline.com. 

What is the California Book Club?
The California Book Club is a new monthly virtual gathering devoted to literature from and about the Golden State. Produced by Alta Journal and hosted by John Freeman, the acclaimed author and former executive editor of Literary Hub, the CBC is free and holds lively one-hour discussions each month with writers whose books are as richly varied as the state itself. Club members have the opportunity to hear authors read from their books and to ask questions of them and featured guests. A distinguished six-person panel of literary experts selects the exceptional works that make up a new California canon: books by some of the most prominent—and promising—authors of our day. Alta’s mission is to demystify the West with riveting storytelling—and our innovative project has invaluable partners:

Freeman’s Alta essay on the new California curriculum gave us the idea to start the book club. “Week to week, this big glorious, strange, wonderful state is coming to life on the page,” Freeman writes. “In a state of 40 million people, with the world’s fifth-largest economy, with a quarter of America’s immigrant population, literature is being reinvented.”  

How do I join the CBC?
We encourage you to sign up for the club. It’s thought-provoking and unlike any other book gathering out there.

To join us, go to join.altaonline.com/cbc_newsletter. After you register, you’ll receive four custom-designed CBC bookplates. 

How do I attend a CBC event?
Once you join the book club, you will receive emails about upcoming events. 

Five days before the Zoom event, you will receive an email with the link to the live program. You will receive another email one hour before it begins. 

For more information about the CBC, go to californiabookclub.com.

Social: Follow the CBC on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or go to the website for updates: californiabookclub.com. 

Any other questions?
Contact us! Email support@altaonline.com or give us a call at (415) 654-3376. Note: Sending an email gets the quickest response!