Frequently Asked Questions

Why don’t you sell work?

Many resources already exist for selling work, including Etsy, Itch.io, personal websites, and more. Rather than replicating that functionality, we’d like to focus on bridging the gap between all of these disparate sources, encouraging creator independence, and adding to the rich ecosystem that already exists.

How does AltSalt make money?

AltSalt is currently a volunteer-driven effort funded by Artemio Morales (in fact, this is Artemio talking right now!). In the long run, I'm thinking about a few ways to make AltSalt self-sustaining, including partnering with creators on digital anthologies, offering premium features, or running in-person meetups. That being said, the catalog, listings, and being a part of the community will always be free.

Why do you have a submission process at all?

We're still in early stages and are looking to foster a safe and healthy community. With that goal in mind, we're taking baby steps and would like to connect personally with every creator we bring on board for now. We also have no idea what kind of content folks will submit! So the submission process is in place so we can get a sense of our communities, with the idea to potentially organize collaborations and promotional programming together. We may open up more widely or have submissions reviewed by the community itself in the future.

Why don’t you accept novels?

Books are well understood by the general population, and substantial infrastructure exists for traditional prose overall, including sites like Goodreads and Wattpad. By contrast, during our research, we discovered that there was a unique need when it came to zines, comics, story-driven video games, and visual literature.

These creative communities also share a lot of similarities, so it seemed natural to create a resource for them in particular. We may branch out to other kinds of media in the future, but for now these alternative forms of literature are our priority.

What is a ‘story-driven game’?

Within the world of video games, there exists a culture of indie games. Many of these pieces have a tenuous relationship with the term ‘game’ — in fact, they’re more akin to digital literary experiences.

We’d love to create a space for this kind of work. Recontextualizing these experiences within the space of literature may also provide new vocabulary and opportunities, in particular for making digital work that focuses more on story than gameplay.

If you make games and this resonates with you, please submit your work! We’d love to see what you’re up to.

What is ‘visual literature’?

This is literature whose visual presentation, via typography, artwork, or other elements, is essential to understanding the piece’s meaning. This is an all-encompassing term that can include concrete poetry, comics, experimental websites, and other literary-visual forms that we haven’t thought of yet.

How do I know if my work falls into one of the accepted categories?

If you find it difficult to categorize your work, and it’s literary in nature, please do submit! Chances are it’s a perfect fit.