Whether your goal as an author is to help portray a more diverse world, or a story you’re itching to share already includes characters from varied backgrounds, having someone check the authenticity of content that portrays people who differ from you has become a common early step of book development. It’s akin to a historical fiction author being sure that they’ve used the right vernacular and captured the worldview and other aspects of a community centuries ago.
The good news is, the focused nature of sensitivity work often means it’s cheaper than other forms of content review, while paying dividends by preventing you from unknowingly stepping into cultural landmines that can pull readers out of your story—and raise concerns on social media and elsewhere about personal biases, unintentional or not.
Here are six elements to consider regarding when and how to work with these reviewers that can help build trust in your authorial skills, reduce the chance of triggering readers, and more:
When Should You Hire These Readers
Some may think of authenticity/inclusivity/sensitivity readers as being important when it comes to depicting someone of a different racial or ethnic background than your own. While this is true, the same applies with real or fictional characters that have a different lived experiences from you – whether it’s that the depicted person uses a wheelchair, grew up in secular, but Mormon-based household, is a die-hard video gamer.
Although writers often consider getting an outside perspective if a major character or subplot touches on cultural or other differences from your lived experiences, sensitivity concerns also occur with minor characters and plot points. For instance, if a minor teenage character is an American of Asian descent who is portrayed as being studious and obedient toward their parents, an authenticity reader might ask you whether one or both could be turned into less stereotypical traits.
Even authors of genre such as fantasy and science fiction aren’t immune to the need for these readers, noted sensitivity reader Stefanie Molina in an Austin talk she gave about the topic in 2022 at the Agents & Editors Conference of the Writers League of Texas. A case in point would be a fantasy based on Peter Pan that touches on colonialism and Native Americans. As Molina put it, such authors should think about how readers will map the world they’ve created onto their own.
What Authenticity Readers Pick Up On
In an episode of the Canadian TV series, Being Erica, the lead character flashes back to a time in the ‘80s when her brother says things that make the adult Erica cringe, such as “don’t act like a retard,” and “that’s so gay.” Unless this is done intentionally, for a reason that serves a larger purpose in the narrative, a writer may benefit from having one of these readers call out such word choices or depictions that don’t match the worldview and experiences of the represented individual. Otherwise, the author’s language might cause harm by reinforcing invalid assumptions about someone with that background. Keep in mind that the focus of the content doesn’t have to be emotionally intense, such as sexual abuse, for a sensitivity reader to catch a cultural faux pas in the making.
What Makes a Good Sensitivity Reader
The key factor is close familiarity with the background of your real or fictional character. That often includes having an intersectional identity (such as being both an Inuit, and female). To help with determining fit, you will ideally work out in advance what parts of the manuscript they’ll be focusing on. For instance, is it that you have certain dialogue or behaviors that might be problematic, and does this just involve one character, so they can focus on just their pages? Or, is there a plot line that relates to some cultural elements, such as how Ramadan is celebrated, that you’re not sure you’ve pulled off well?
Finding someone who’s conscientious about their approach to the work is essential, including being honest that they aren’t a perfect match in some ways, if realized before or during the work. For instance, they might call out the possibility that the way their family celebrates a religious or other tradition may not mirror that of a character they’re evaluating the depiction of. Molina, for instance, won’t even serve as a sensitivity reader for Latino characters who weren’t born in the US, because she has had a different lived experience than them as a result.
Asking for sources the reader used for fact checking is also important (with fact checking among the diversity related research steps you should do as much of in advance as possible, to reduce costs and minimize the need for manuscript update suggestions).
Where To Find These Readers
There aren’t organizations for authenticity readers that you can turn to. But book service provider lists exist that include these readers, such as the Editors of Color database, Salt and Sage Books, and The Spun Yarn (which leans toward fiction-related providers, and charges for three readers). If you use Facebook, there is also a “Binders Full of Sensitivity Readers” (available to users who identify as female).
Although the basic qualifier is a reader’s background/life experiences, you can still ask if someone has done any preparation for this type of work, which resembles being a focused beta reader. For instance, members like me of the Editorial Freelancers Association have access to video training on being an authenticity reader, which I took before providing this service to one of the university presses that I also provide structural and line edits for.
Best Manuscript Stage for Authenticity Input
Regarding where to slot this review in, most often, a reader will be hired as early as possible in a book’s development. That way, if you decide to make any major changes based on the feedback, it will be easier. This often means sending a manuscript to a reader once a draft is done, or after it’s been structurally edited, or perhaps edited for voice and style (what I call line editing). The main rule of thumb is to try to do so before sentences are set and ready for final review, as in, before the copy-editing stage.
Pricing and How to Approach Service Offerings
Because this work gets into issues of personal identity, and can be emotionally rough for sensitivity readers, you should plan to compensate them. This can amount to a few hundred dollars, given typical fees, and the fact that they will often read sections of your work rather than the whole thing. A typical fee is one or two cents per word, and you may hire more than one sensitivity reader to review different elements in a book, or to get greater than one perspective on potentially contentious content nuances. As an added or alternative step, you might hire a book coach, editor, or proofreader who has a background that mirrors the area(s) outside your lived experience in the manuscript.
Keep in mind that you’re getting what boils down to one person’s perspective with any of these hires. Just as your understanding of the world can differ substantially from a sibling’s who grew up in a different time and place, no one reader can represent an entire community or demographic group.
Nor is it the authenticity reader’s job to protect an author from criticism. Their work is focused on helping you see where you might have cultural blinders on, and providing potential solutions for making content more accurate and inclusive. It’s about creating a safe reading experience, to the extent possible based on their understandings shared, and how you’re approaching a subject.
Typically, a reader will provide in-text or sidebar comments, as well as a summary report of their findings. They may include feedback on items beyond what you asked them to check for (though, as with editing, if this will add greatly to their cost/time, they should check your interest in doing so first). For your well-being, getting a sensitivity reader to sign a confidentiality clause in advance is wise, regarding not disclosing details of your work, or of their feedback recommendations (that is, just as it’s not appropriate for you to call them out publicly if someone takes offense at something in your work, you are entitled to ask them for content privacy).
Regardless of the advice shared during their services, it’s up to you (and/or the publisher) to decide what if anything is revised as a result. So, receiving input with an authenticity read mirrors traditional editing in this way as well—ultimately, the writing remains yours.
By Barbra A. Rodriguez
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