Sensitivity Reading 101
Writers familiar with the concept of sensitivity reading usually fall into one of three camps: either they think it’s useful, they think it’s unnecessary, or they think it’s censorship. My tent is pitched in the first camp. I think it’s essential for certain manuscripts—after all, I offer it as a service. But what exactly is it, and why are there such strong opinions about it? Even if you fall into the second or third camps, it’s worth knowing why you may be encouraged to work with a sensitivity reader.
Please note that through the rest of the blog post, I’ll be referring to this service as authenticity reading. I explain why toward the end. If you’re looking for information on how to become an authenticity reader, check out my blog post devoted to that very topic.
What is authenticity reading?
When a writer writes about an identity or community they don’t have experience with, the feedback they receive from someone who has lived experience or firsthand knowledge of that identity can be invaluable in strengthening the story. That’s where authenticity reading comes in. Authenticity reading, as its name suggests, analyzes the authenticity of a story’s plot, characterization, setting, and dialogue. This is especially important when the identity being written about is a marginalized one. Writers often have beta readers read a manuscript and give feedback on their overall impressions of the story. An authenticity reader is like a beta reader who looks at the story through a specific lens.
Authenticity reading is often used to examine one or more of the following:
Race/ethnicity
Gender and gender identity
Sexual orientation
Religion
Disability (physical, neurological, developmental, or mental health diagnoses)
Culture of specific groups (military, tech, Star Wars fans, etc.)
For example, if I wrote a story that features a disabled character but I don’t have experience with disability (or the specific disability I’m writing about), I may hire an authenticity reader who does. The authenticity reader would provide feedback on how I’m portraying disability in my story—what works, what doesn’t work, what’s accurate, what’s potentially problematic, and so on. On the other hand, a writer who isn’t too familiar with Chinese culture but whose story heavily features it may hire me to do an authenticity read.
What is it not?
A common fear or misconception is that authenticity reading is a form of censorship or that an authenticity reader’s job is to look for ways to be offended or to pull books off the shelves. This isn’t the case though. When they make suggestions or call attention to potentially problematic elements, it’s not for the sake of telling the writer what they can or can’t say. It’s to help the writer strengthen the story through more accurate and realistic portrayals.
Some writers might also think that everything in their story is immune to criticism because it’s been read by an authenticity reader, but it’s important to keep in mind that feedback from one authenticity reader is not representative of an entire demographic or community. They are one person with one set of experiences, but their feedback is valuable nonetheless.
What’s the process like?
The authenticity reading process will vary, with some readers providing more or less intervention and feedback than others. An authenticity reader reads the manuscript and writes comments throughout, usually both positive ones and constructive ones. They may raise questions about ambiguities or intended meanings, and they may provide education and resources for further reading. Some readers will also write a report summarizing their overall impressions and feedback—what parts are accurate or done well, what parts may be problematic or may benefit from rewriting. It’s important to note that they don’t make direct changes to the manuscript. Instead, the writer is tasked with making changes according to the feedback.
What types of things might be flagged?
There are different types of things that may be flagged by an authenticity reader. Many of these have to do with conscious language choices, which I’ve written about in a past blog post. Authenticity readers will typically look for problems with the following:
Language and terms (offensive language or slurs)
Stereotypes
Descriptions of characters (physical appearance, personality traits)
Representations of settings, traditions, beliefs
Dialogue
Plot/story arcs
Why is this important?
So, after all this, why should a writer hire an authenticity reader? Here are just a few reasons.
Accuracy builds trust with readers.
Regardless of genre, writers often spend ample time researching to make their stories as accurate as possible. Historical fiction writers research to describe settings, dialogue, and clothing according to the time period. Crime writers research to delve into forensics and human psychology. Science fiction and fantasy writers research to create their advanced technology and magic systems. Accuracy shows readers that writers have done the work, and it builds trust. Some readers will leave a novel unfinished if they feel a story is inauthentic or inaccurate. Hiring an authenticity reader can be seen as a form of research, similar to consulting a subject-matter expert to inform the story.
Readers will notice.
If a writer publishes a story that’s inaccurate or harmful, readers will notice—and they’re not afraid to speak up. This can result in poor publicity or reviews, not to mention the upheaval of a national organization like the RWA. One thing I hear writers say is that they’re being “historically accurate” by using slurs or problematic language because people in that setting or time period would’ve used them. While this may be true, readers are reading it in today’s context, knowing that the writer wrote it while being aware of today’s context. Readers may not be able to (or want to) separate their own emotional reactions to a slur, so writers risk doing harm to readers for the sake of so-called accuracy, regardless of intent.
Representation matters.
I’ve written about why representation is important before. Readers want to see themselves in the stories they read and the characters they read about. It can be empowering or uplifting when the representation is authentic. On the other hand, it can be harmful or dejecting when portrayals are stereotyped or problematic (or nonexistent). In addition, sometimes the representation found in media is the only exposure readers or viewers have to people who are different from them, so their impressions are shaped by what they see or what they read. It’s important to get these right. There’s also ongoing conversation about whether writers should tell stories about a marginalized identity if they don’t share that identity (like with the American Dirt controversy) and whether they’re taking away space from writers who do. #OwnVoices is a hashtag started by Corinne Duyvis to highlight stories written by authors who share a marginalized identity with their protagonists. I won’t get into this conversation here, but it’s something to think about.
Authenticity readers can help fill in the gaps found in traditional publishing.
Since 2015, Lee and Low has conducted an annual Diversity Baseline Survey to gather demographic data on diversity in the US publishing industry. Their 2019 statistics revealed that the respondents were as follows: 76% were white, 74% were cis women, 81% were straight, and 89% were non-disabled. Unless someone is self-publishing, the agents and editors working in the publishing industry are the ones who choose which stories get published and which writers get published. Even if a book passes through the hands of agents, editors, and many others in the publishing process, issues of representation and authenticity may be ignored or missed if there is little diversity among them. Therefore, authenticity readers can help raise issues before publication.
Where can I find an authenticity reader?
There are various places where you can find an authenticity reader. Often, an internet search of the topic you’re looking for + “authenticity read(er)” or “sensitivity read(er)” will yield great results. Editors of Color, EFA, and ACES all have databases of editorial professionals, which can be filtered by sensitivity reading as a service offered. There’s also a Facebook group called Binders Full of Sensitivity Readers. Writers can join the group and fill out a form with specifics about their project. Note that this group is for authenticity readers of marginalized genders only, so if you’re looking for a reader who is a cisgender man, they wouldn’t be in this group.
How do I become an authenticity reader?
If you’re interested in offering this service, read my blog post “What to Know to Become an Authenticity Reader,” where I detail the various considerations to think about before starting this journey.
Why I use “authenticity reading” instead of “sensitivity reading”
So why did I call my post “Sensitivity Reading 101” but then use the term authenticity reading the rest of the way? While sensitivity reading is the most common term used for this service, it is also called authenticity reading, targeted beta reading, or diversity reading.
I used to call my service sensitivity reading because it’s the name most familiar to writers and publishers, but after careful thought, I switched to using authenticity reading in all of my references to it going forward. I did so for several reasons:
The word sensitivity is misleading in capturing what this service truly is, so those who are unfamiliar with it and are trying to understand it just by its name don’t get a clear picture of the goals or intent.
The word sensitivity plays into the false but prevalent narrative that this service caters to oversensitive critics who are out there to censor or cancel a writer’s creative freedom.
While there’s no perfect word for the service (that I’ve found), I believe that authenticity reading is the most accurate name that captures the essence of what it does: evaluates the authenticity of representation. Although there’s no such thing as the One True Authentic Experience and the word “authenticity” gets weaponized against readers who do have lived experience but are judged on the validity of their experience, the idea of an authenticity reader can be framed another way: that a reader’s experience is authentic to themselves, and they bring that personal experience, as well as their thoughts and feelings, to the writer’s story. So a person who reads for a topic isn’t saying that XYZ is the only authentic way to portray this, but that their lived experience allows them to critique the story and offer feedback in an authentic way—which can’t be done by those who haven’t experienced it before. Therefore, it’s not so much about reading for authenticity as it is reading with authenticity.
I want writers to hire authenticity readers, and I want as few barriers in that process as possible. I see the term sensitivity reading as being one of those barriers because it plays into the misconceptions of what authenticity readers do and what the intent of the service is. If potential clients will engage in conversations with me, then I get the chance to dispel the many misconceptions that exist around this service, including the idea of gatekeeping for authenticity.
The biggest reason I used to call my service sensitivity reading was convenience. My logic was “that’s the name many people know it by, so why try to do something different?” But I’m someone who wants to push for language change, not follow the conventions just because that’s what everyone else uses. And when there are many more reasons not to call this service sensitivity reading, I don’t want to continue using this as my excuse.
I know some people prefer the term authenticity reading over sensitivity reading, and others do not. My goal is not to dictate how people refer to this service but to provide an explanation as to why I landed on using authenticity reading for myself.
Final thoughts
It may seem scary to have your work critiqued for authenticity or representation, but it’s really no different from having it read by beta readers. If you go into it with a willingness to keep an open mind to the feedback you receive, the result may be a stronger story that’s more accurate, representative, and meaningful.
Additional resources
My interview on The Editing Podcast about authenticity reading
My EFA webinar on authenticity reading (November 2022; available for free, only for EFA members)
My ACES webcast on sensitivity reading and conscious language (September 2020; free for ACES members, $30 for nonmembers)
EFA booklet on sensitivity reads for editorial professionals ($5.99 paperback)
