Draft by Draft
Coaching for Academic Writers
We empower writers to draft, revise, and publish monographs and journal articles.
Our coaching combines intellectual rigor with kind, process-based writing support. At Draft by Draft, your writing coach—Jess Engebretson, Michelle Niemann, or Julia Dauer—will think with you about how to revise your drafts, so that you leave each session with clear next steps. We also offer writing groups that provide intellectual community, helping writers develop a steady and sustainable writing practice.
We’ve worked with hundreds of faculty members and researchers, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, as they’ve developed their scholarly books and articles. Our clients have published their books with presses such as Oxford University Press, UNC Press, Duke University Press, and Columbia University Press; their articles have appeared in journals including PMLA, PNAS, and JAMA.
Curiosity, humility, and frankness are the principles that guide our work with writers. We have PhDs in English and experience writing and editing in various fields, which means we’re familiar with generic conventions in academia. But we’re also disinterested outside readers. Our coaching methodology focuses on listening, asking questions, and sharing our honest critical responses to your drafts.
We work with writers primarily through one-on-one consultations, which take place via videoconference and are held on a regular basis. Our flexible coaching process, which is tailored to each individual, helps faculty members and postdocs meet their academic writing and publication goals.
Our clients write in a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, history, literary studies, cultural studies, education, geography, international law, chemistry, the environmental humanities, sociology, demography, public health, and the history of art, design, and architecture.
