Alta Member FAQ

Alta

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:

The award-winning quarterly journal
California Book Club selection and tote bag
Unlimited access to altaonline.com
The Alta Clubhouse app
Weekly member newsletter
Priority access to events

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.

Where can I buy single issues of Alta Journal? Or back issues?
Copies of Alta can be purchased at the Alta Store or at your favorite independent bookshop. Please visit our guide listing more than 130 bookstores to find one near you. Alta can also be found at a small number of airports and newsstands.

Having trouble finding Alta at your local book seller?
Please ask the shop to carry us or drop us a line at bookstores@altaonline.com and we'll contact them.

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

How do I log in to my account for the first time?
Go to altaonline.com/sign-in and follow the instructions on the page. If you have never previously signed in to your account, you will need to enter the following criteria: the zip code where you receive the magazine, your account number, and your email address. Your account number is on the mailing label of your magazine and is the last five digits in the row of numbers.

How do I log in to my account if I received an Alta membership as a gift?
Go to altaonline.com/sign-in and follow the instructions on the page. If you have never previously signed in to your account, you will need to enter the following criteria: the zip code where you receive the magazine, your account number, and your email address (the email address provided by the person who gave you the gift). Your account number is on the mailing label of your magazine and is the last five digits in the row of numbers.

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 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 subscription auto-renew each year?
Yes. We will be sending you a series of emails to let you know that your subscription will auto-renew shortly. You will have the option to continue or cancel your subscription. 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Is there a mobile app version of Alta for subscribers?
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:

Tap on Profile.
Tap on Sign In.
Enter the email address or account ID that you use with your Alta account.
Tap on Sign In.
Tap on the Library tab to access your Alta issues.

How do I sign up for the Alta weekly newsletter?
Go to join.altaonline.com/altanewsletter. 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 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 discussions each month 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 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. The CBC is free to everyone.

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 reminder one hour before it begins.

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

Where can I find Alta on social media?
Follow Alta Journal on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Follow the California Book Club 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. Please note, sending us an email gets the quickest response!•