Alternating Current

We’re seeking book-length manuscripts of literary fiction, short stories, poetry, plays, novels, long novellas, creative nonfiction, literary memoir, essay collections, or hybrid. We especially want to hear from marginalized and underrepresented writers, and we are an LGBTQUIA+ safe-space.

Winner receives $1,000, our Electric Book Award digital medallion, a certificate, and book publication on Alternating Current Press, which includes distribution through Ingram and all major online retailers. Runners-up may also be offered book publication.

Submissions open: January 1, 2023

Submissions close: April 30, 2023

Winner announced: August 2023

Publication: 2024/2025

• Manuscripts may be of any length in any genre or style. Manuscripts can be fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, or hybrid. Choose the category of best fit.
• Manuscripts must be geared toward an adult readership. We are not interested in books for children.
• All work must be in English and must be the author’s own. Single work by multiple authors considered.
• Manuscripts are read incognito. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME OR ANY IDENTIFYING MARKS INSIDE THE FILE, including headers, footers, cover pages, acknowledgments, and file names. If you do leave your identifying marks inside the file, the submission will be read as-is, but the reader may disqualify the submission if he knows you on any personal level.
• If you need to adjust a submission, please use the Request to Edit option through Submittable. Please don’t request to edit for minor flaws, however—all accepted work will go through an editing process and will have the chance to be updated before publication, and your work will not be disqualified for a missing comma.
• All authors must be at least 18 to submit.
• Simultaneous submissions allowed. Please withdraw your manuscript through Submittable if it is accepted elsewhere.
• ACP and The Coil staff may submit work for publication consideration, but they are ineligible to win prizes while on our staff (including volunteers).
• Collections that contain previously published pieces are considered. Don’t include acknowledgments in the file.
• Submit via Submittable only. We do not accept email submissions.
• Straight or scholarly nonfiction should have reference pages.
• There is an $18 fee for each manuscript submitted. You may submit as many manuscripts as you’d like, but each one must be submitted separately with a separate fee. The fee helps us with needed administration and book production costs, but it’s not meant to be too inhibitive. If you are unable to pay, please email us for an alternative submission method.
• Each paid submission comes with a digital copy of our latest Electric Book Award winner, River Weather, a collection of dark Appalachian stories by Cameron MacKenzie ($7.99 value). There is an additional option to purchase the winning Electric Book Award print book (publishing in 2024/2025) as an add-on for a deep discount ($7.99 off the final cover price, shipped free worldwide).
• We will send a response and notification of the winner to every submission by the end of August. Form response only, unless we are interested in publishing your book. We are regretfully unable to provide feedback.