Quick note, before we get any further: We do not use generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI) to produce our content, including text and images. All contributors will be required to sign a contract affirming that they will not use gen-AI to produce their work for Drafting the Past.
If you would like to write a review for us...
...please email pitches@draftingthepast.com and include BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. Be sure to tell us who you are, what book you’re pitching and its release date, and why you are a good fit to review it. If you have writing clips, please share those.
We’re interested in reviews of individual books as well as review essays that feature two or more related books. We are a platform dedicated to nonfiction history books, and we generally do not review fiction or other subjects. Books published by university presses are welcome and encouraged, but we rarely cover books aimed at a purely academic audience.
Timing: We will publish reviews up to six weeks after the book’s publication, so please pitch us at least three months before the book’s publication date. In September 2026, we are currently accepting pitches for books that will be published in December 2026/January 2027 or later.
Length and style: Single-book reviews should be no longer than 1,000 words, and written in the style of newspaper and magazine reviews (not academic journals). Review essays should be no longer than 1,500 words.
We will be paying writers $200 per single-book review, and more for review essays.
Please do not send unsolicited attachments. They will be deleted. Due to the number of pitches we receive, we cannot respond to all of them. If you have not heard back from us within two weeks, you can assume we have declined your pitch.
Here are some example reviews to give you a sense of the style we're looking for:
- Karl Jacoby, “The Mild, Mild West: On ‘Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West,’” Los Angeles Review of Books (2019)
- Mattie Kahn, “The Mysterious History of the Female Body,” New York Times (2026)
- Antoaneta Tileva, “Review of Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle,” Washington Independent Review of Books (2026)
- Nicole Schrag, “Review of Sweet Home Feliciana: Family, Slavery, and the Hauntings of History,” Washington Independent Review of Books
- Ericka Taylor, “Believe it or not, this book makes taxes fascinating,” NPR
If you have a book you would like us to cover...
...please email pitches@draftingthepast.com and include BOOK TO REVIEW in the subject line. If it is a good potential fit, we will reply with an ARC request.
Please pitch us at least three months before the book’s publication date.
If you’re interested in being a guest on the Drafting the Past podcast...
...email pitches@draftingthepast.com and include PODCAST in the subject line. Please check out Kate’s advice for pitching the podcast before submitting your pitch.
In all cases, please know that we get FAR more pitches than we have space for coverage, a reality that bums us out, too!