2nd Draft FAQs

Q. Who is behind 2nd Draft?
2nd Draft is brought to you by Writer’s Digest, the leading authority on writing and publishing. For more than 90 years, the Writer’s Digest organization has published hundreds of magazines and books to help people learn to write better and publish what they write. Writer’s Digest University, a leader in online education, has been providing one-on-one instruction to writers for more than a decade.

Writer’s Digest, the best-selling magazine in the writing community, has been cited by such authors as Barbara Kingsolver, John Grisham and Nelson DeMille as being instrumental in their careers. And in a review of writing books, American Bookseller wrote that “Writer’s Digest Books is one of the leading publishers of titles related to the writing craft, and their catalog is a gold mine of worthwhile titles.”

These years of experience are put to work for you in 2nd Draft.

Q. Who will review my writing?
All of our reviewers are published writers; many are also editors or agents, teachers and workshop leaders.

Q. How can I get the most from a professional review from 2nd Draft?
Send us your best effort. If your manuscript is formatted improperly, full of spelling and grammatical errors, or otherwise poorly presented, that will take time and focus away from looking at higher-level issues. Please refer to the submission guidelines for details on how to format your manuscript. We reserve the right to return any submission and fees if we feel you are not in a position to benefit from our services.

Q. How long will it take to get my review?
We’ll return your work to you as soon as we can, but we want to allow enough time for the reviewer to carefully read and thoroughly evaluate your writing.

Q. Will you help me get published/get an agent?
No. Your reviewer may give you marketing advice, but it’s up to you to research editors and agents, and submit your work for publication.

Q. Can you guarantee my work will be published or I will get an agent?
No. No one except an editor can guarantee your work will be published (and even then, get it in writing!). We do guarantee that you’ll get information you need to improve your query letter. It’s up to you to submit your work for consideration.