How to Submit to Cloudbank Books or Enter the Vern Rutsala Book Prize

Updated

Cloudbank Books accepts submissions through its website, and its main open competition is the Vern Rutsala Book Prize. According to the site's own announcement, the winner receives publication, $1,000, and 50 books, while the Editor's Choice receives publication, $500, and 50 books. The site directs writers to a details link for the full rules, so the exact deadline, entry fee, and manuscript format must be confirmed there before you submit.

What Cloudbank Books Is

Cloudbank Books is the publisher behind Cloudbank, described on the site as a "journal of contemporary writing." Its catalog includes poetry collections and issues of the journal, such as:

  • Early & Late by Christopher Buckley
  • As Creatures by Suzanne Matson — the Editor's Choice for the Vern Rutsala Book Prize, available in early November with preorders open
  • Cloudbank 20 — with poems and flash fiction by Rolly Kent, Gary Soto, Melanie and others
  • Cloudbank 19 — featuring "Not More Than A Mile From Old Faithful" by Bill Rector, the winner of an award
  • Dear Dusk by Stephen Knauth
  • The Silent Conversation by Bruce Bond — published by Cloudbank Books and the Editor's Choice for the Vern Rutsala Book Prize

This tells you the press publishes both full-length poetry books and a journal that mixes poetry and flash fiction.

Two Paths: The Book Prize vs. General Submissions

Path What you're submitting What the site states you can receive
Vern Rutsala Book Prize A book manuscript Winner: publication, $1,000, 50 books. Editor's Choice: publication, $500, 50 books
General submissions Work for Cloudbank the journal Not specified in the available site text

The prize is the path with clearly stated rewards. If you want to place individual poems or flash fiction rather than a full book, the journal submission route is the relevant one, but you'll need the Submit page for its terms.

How to Enter the Vern Rutsala Book Prize

  1. Go to cloudbankbooks.com and find the Submit section (the site's announcement links to a details page for the contest).
  2. Open the Vern Rutsala Book Prize details link. This is where the complete guidelines live — read them before preparing anything.
  3. Confirm the requirements the site does not state in its announcement: deadline, entry fee (if any), page count, and formatting rules.
  4. Prepare your manuscript to match those guidelines exactly.
  5. Submit through the method the details page specifies, and keep any confirmation you receive.

Expected result: a complete entry that matches the press's stated rules, with your contact and payment details handled the way the guidelines require.

Common Sticking Points

  • Assuming the prize terms are the whole story. The $1,000/$500 and 50-book figures are confirmed, but deadlines and fees are not in the announcement text — treat the details page as the source of truth.
  • Confusing the prize with journal submissions. The prize is for a book manuscript; Cloudbank the journal publishes poems and flash fiction. Don't send one where the other belongs.
  • Skipping the Editor's Choice possibility. If your manuscript doesn't win outright, it can still be selected as Editor's Choice, which carries publication, $500, and 50 books — so it's worth entering even if you're not certain of winning.
  • Missing preorder and release timing. If you're also interested in the press's books, note that titles like As Creatures open for preorder before release, which tells you the press runs on a seasonal schedule.

What to Check Before You Submit

Because the site's announcement points to a separate details page, verify these items there rather than guessing:

  • Submission window and deadline
  • Entry fee, if one exists
  • Manuscript length and format requirements
  • Whether simultaneous submissions are allowed
  • How and when winners are notified

If the details page doesn't answer something, use the contact information on the site rather than assuming a policy.