Sensitivity Reading

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Sensitivity reading encompasses a broad scope of checks and balances. This pass takes a hard look at any word choices or characterizations that could come across as offensive, caricatural, or inauthentic. Feedback may be as simple as suggesting a change to a popular expression that, unbeknownst to the author, has racial undertones or discussing whether a word or term used to describe a group of people best aligns with the way they prefer to be described. It could also be as complex as evaluating diversity representation of characters throughout a novel or the unintentional presence of racial undertones.

    Because sensitivity reading requires an in-depth understanding of various demographics and communities, I do not read for every topic. The following are a list of topics I read for based on my professional and lived experience:

    Women’s issues and feminism
    Racial undertones in historical fiction
    Jewish representation in World War II novels
    Online gaming culture
    Alzheimer’s and related dementias
    Representation of people with intellectual disabilities
    Mental health issues, including suicide
    Non-Asian characters being introduced to an Asian culture (especially Chinese, Japanese, and Singaporean cultures)
    Christian faith

    When you work with me as a sensitivity reader, you’ll get:

    A mini editorial memo of 3+ pages summarizing my feedback.
    Suggested changes to offensive words, phrases, or expressions, using Microsoft Word’s Comments and/or Track Changes features.
    Feedback on language relating to race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, mental health, neurodivergence, body size, and socioeconomic status.
    An analysis of how the language used intersects with the time period in which your novel is written and the ways modern readers will encounter the text.
    Insights into any assumptions, biases, or harmful representations present within the text.
    Detailed explanations to support all suggested changes, including links to trustworthy resources and further reading.
    Investment

    Sensitivity reading is offered at no additional charge when you hire me for a line/copy edit. If you wish to work with me as a sensitivity reader only, my rates start at $.012/word. Please reach out for a fixed-rate quote that is customized to your project’s needs.

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    Thank you so much for your work on To Free the Stars! You caught some great stuff, and I really appreciate it, especially the sensitivity things. The number of changes was perfect—not too many and not too little.

    Jodi Hughes

    Jodi Hughes
    Senior editor at HarperCollins

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    This is amazing! Wow, I've never seen a sensitivity read on this genre [YA historical fiction], and I learned so much. I think it will be just what the in-house team is looking for!

    Elisa Stanford

    Elisa Stanford
    Owner of Edit Resource