[Alternating Current Press]: Futurist Debut Book Award

This is a book-publication contest of Alternating Current Press. Please know what it is before submitting.

We’re seeking book-length debut manuscripts of literary fiction, short stories, poetry, plays, novels, long novellas, creative nonfiction, literary memoir, essay collections, or hybrid written by a debut author who has not yet published a full-length book in the submitted genre. We especially want to hear from marginalized and underrepresented writers, and we are an LGBTQUIA2+ safe-space.

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

Submissions open: July 1, 2025

Submissions close: December 31, 2025

Winner announced: April 2026

Publication: 2027/2028
 

• Manuscripts must be written by an author who has not yet published a full-length book in the submitted genre. Previously published chapbooks do not count against you. Previously published books in other genres do not count against you. (Example: If you are submitting a debut poetry book, then it is fine to have had a previously published debut novel and/or a previously published debut chapbook, as long as you don’t have a previously published full-length poetry book.)
• 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 We do not publish books for children.
• All work must be in English and must be the author’s own. Single work by multiple authors considered. At least one of the authors must be a debut author in the submitted genre. We do not consider A.I.-generated work.
• 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.
• If another of your books submitted to a different press gets picked up and would conflict with this book being your debut book in the submitted genre, then you are no longer eligible for this prize. Your book can still be considered for publication on our press, however, so if you lose eligibility for the prize but still wish to be considered for standard publication, you do not have to withdraw your work, but please send us a message through Submittable to let us know that your eligibility has changed. If any winning work is later deemed ineligible, the author does not win the prize. There are no refunds given for ineligibility.
• 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 proper citations.
• There is a $19 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, and we pay our readers for their time and effort, 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 Futurist Debut Book Award winner. Since this is a new award, the digital copy is our latest published debut, Fish Love, a collection of poems about the macabre side of womanhood by Bryanna Licciardi ($7.99 value). There is an additional option to purchase the winning Futurist Debut Book Award print book (publishing in 2027/2028) as an add-on for a deep discount ($6.99 off the final cover price, U.S. shipping only). If there is no winner selected for a chosen year, advance book purchases will roll over to the next year. If you purchase this option, please make sure to keep your Submittable mailing address current in your profile.
• We will send a response to every submission and post an announcement of the winner by the end of April. Form response only, unless we are interested in publishing your book. We are regretfully unable to provide feedback. We reserve the right not to choose a winning manuscript if there are no contestants that meet our high judging standards.

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