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

What does my annual All-Access membership include?
An Alta All-Access membership is $60 annually and includes:

  • The award-winning quarterly print journal
  • Altatude cartoon collection book
  • Unlimited access to altaonline.com, including a digital archive of every issue
  • Weekly member newsletter
  • Priority access to events

How do I log in to my account for the first time?
Go to altaonline.com/signin and follow the instructions on the page. If you have never previously signed in to your account, enter the email you used to buy your subscription and you will be prompted to create a password to sign in. If you have any difficulty, please email: support@altaonline.com.

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. (Gift Subscriptions will not auto-renew and will end one year from the activation date.)

How do I log in to my account if I received an Alta membership as a gift?
To activate your gift membership, please log in here: join.altaonline.com/gift_membership.

How do I make changes to my email address or mailing address, change my password, or find out when my subscription expires?
After logging in to your account, click “My Account” from the home page, then click the “Manage Membership” tab. (You may need to enter your credentials one more time.)

I just subscribed for an All-Access membership. When will my first issue arrive?
You will receive your first issue within two to three weeks from the day you place your order. New issues come out quarterly—in early January, April, July, and October.

Will my subscriptions auto-renew?
Yes. We will send you a series of emails to inform you that your subscription will auto-renew soon. You will have the option to continue or cancel your subscription. Your payment method will be charged the then-current rate each term. If we do not have your email on file, we will send you a postcard via the U.S. Postal Service approximately six weeks before your subscription ends.

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

Whom do I contact about a billing issue?
Please 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. Next, click on “My Subscriptions,” then click on the drop-down menu on the right and choose “Cancel.”

I just purchased a subscription. When will my members-only access begin?
You have full access as soon as you have logged in to your account at altaonline.com/signin.

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

Is Alta sold in stores?
Yes. Find out current list of retailers here.

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

Is there a digital-only subscription to Alta if I do not want to receive the printed magazine?
Yes. We offer a digital-only subscription. Simply choose whether you would like to pay monthly or annually. To become a member, please go to altaonline.com/join.

Members-Only Access
Our archived content is available on our website only to members with active subscriptions. The content available to nonmembers includes the California Book Club, Alta Live events, newsletters, poems, cartoons, the Alta store, online exclusives, and certain featured content that will remain accessible to all. Once you log in as a member, the current issue and all past ones are available at altaonline.com/archives.

How do I subscribe to or cancel my registration for various Alta newsletters?
Go to join.altaonline.com/newsletters.

How do I contact the editorial team to submit an idea for a story?
Send an email with the pitch to info@altaonline.com. Please note, Alta does not accept sponsored posts.

How do I write a letter to the editor?
Please include the writer’s address and phone number. Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity.

  • Email: click here
  • Mail: Alta Journal, 510 7th St., San Francisco, CA 94103

What are Alta Live events?
From time to 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 live-stream link 60 minutes before the show begins.

Where can I find a roundup of Alta’s favorite bookstores in the West?
Go to altaonline.com/bookstores.

What is the California Book Club?
The California Book Club is a monthly virtual gathering devoted to literature from and about the Golden State launched in October 2020. Produced by Alta and hosted by John Freeman, the acclaimed author and former executive editor of Literary Hub, the CBC is free and holds lively one-hour monthly discussions with writers whose books are as richly varied as the state itself. Club members will have the opportunity to hear authors read from their books and to ask questions of them and our 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:

John 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 California Book Club?
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. The CBC is free to everyone.

How do I attend a California Book Club 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 reminder one hour before it begins.

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

Where can I find Alta and the California Book Club on social media?
Follow Alta Journal on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Threads.

Any other questions?
Contact us! Email support@altaonline.com or give us a call at (415) 654-3376. Please note, sending us an email gets the quickest response!•