All About Sensitivity Readers
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
Among the many rules that float around the writing community, one that’s particularly limiting and often rejected by authors is to "write what you know." As much as the practice feels inapplicable in cases of fiction, it does come for a place of good intentions. If you wish to write something outside your personal experiences, there is much higher margin for error, or worse, to cause unintended offense to another party of people.
It is important to do one’s due diligence when researching non-fiction or for elements of fiction that relate to reality (like proper practice for a detective in a mystery novel, for example). But even in the realms of fiction beyond our world (sci-fi, fantasy) there are always things that will be interpretable to real life—whether you intend them so, or not—and the best way to catch those aspects and make sure they’re translating properly to others is to get the opinion of a sensitivity reader (or several).
What is a sensitivity reader?
A sensitivity reader is someone hired to read a piece of literature with the purpose of identifying any unbeknownst bias (of the author), resulting in stereotypes or offensive content. It is good practice to hire a sensitivity reader whenever writing through (or about) a character outside of one’s personal experiences or identifications.
Every sensitivity reader will have unique specialities based on their own upbringing, culture, or additional education, so it’s important to find one that is right for your story. It’s always better to ask respective parties about the accuracy of your representation than to make assumptions and later have regrets.
Why should you hire a sensitivity reader?
Hiring a sensitivity reader is as vital of a step to the writing process as fact-checking or developmental editing. Many writers have come under fire for hosting harmful misrepresentations in their writing, which could have been prevented had they enlisted an appropriate sensitivity reader. These cases aren’t often caused by malicious intent by authors to hurt others, so much as writers being so blinded to their own biases they felt that a sensitivity reader was unnecessary; classic hubris. Even extremely popular, already established authors have had their careers jeopardized by an honest mistake.
When should you hire a sensitivity reader?
The best time to hire a sensitivity reader in your draft process will depend on your story, and whether you have a specific intent for hiring them.
If you are writing a non-fiction work focused on a person or culture apart from your own, then one should be enlisted during (if not before) the production of the first draft. Many sensitivity readers are flexible and if they have relevant knowledge, can be asked to consult on works-in-progress.
If you are writing on a character quite different from yourself, you may wish to look for a sensitivity reader as soon as you’ve completed the early draft revisions. Though you have the story you want to tell, there may be some core aspects that need addressing, and it’s best not to refine the project too much before having to make alterations.
If you are writing a story that only features some side characters of a background you aren’t entirely familiar with, then you may only need to hire a sensitivity reader as a part of the beta reading stage—if changes to that character won’t affect the novel overall.
It’s wise to enlist a general sensitivity reader at some point before publication, regardless of the story subjects, characters, genre, or your personal confidence in those. There are innumerable ways someone can handle or interpret an experience. Even if you’ve gone through something personally, it doesn't mean someone else couldn’t have had an adverse reaction to the same thing (which you’d never considered), and be offended by a certain representation or language used.
Where can you find a sensitivity reader?
Sensitivity readers are one of the easiest forms of publishing services to find. Why? Because they could be just about any one. As mentioned above, there are different kinds of sensitivity readers, and depending on your need for them, their skill and price level will vary.
General Advice
There are many sensitivity readers that will make a general sweep of a manuscript, keeping an eye out for anything that may be interpreted poorly.
The caveat to sensitivity readers who address their assessment without direction is that they may miss things with their own biases, as easily as you’ve missed them with yours. That said, it never hurts to get a second set of eyes. Hiring a general sensitivity readers is a precautionary measure. At worst, they won’t have much feedback to offer, at best, they’ll save you from being blindsided by something you’ve written that’s offensive.
If you’re not seeking a sensitivity reader with a specific concern in mind, cast a wide net; get thoughts from as many people as you can, from all walks of life. Put a call out to the public on social platforms like $ X $ (Twitter), $ Instagram$ , $ Threads$ , $ Bluesky$ , etc. and just make sure all your alpha/beta readers know you are keen to hear any concerns they may have on topics of representation.
Draft Informers
There are sensitivity readers out there that offer services based on their particular knowledge: be that lived, cultural, or educational. They will promote their services as such, but it will take some shopping around to find one that suits your needs, if you require a unique level of specificity.
I would recommend seeking a sensitivity reader who is experienced in being a sensitivity reader, in this case, so you’re ensured in getting the amount of feedback you need. You can ask any beta reader to additionally offer sensitivity advice, but if they aren’t consciously used to providing feedback, that may not be sufficient in catching potentially offensive rhetoric.
If you are seeking services with the intent that they will be thorough enough to inform your draft, but not break the bank before you’ve hired other necessary editors, try freelance platforms like $ Fiverr$ , $ Freelancer.com$ , $ Upwork$ , $ Bark.com$ , $ Guru$ , or $ LinkedIn$ , and make liberal use of the keyword search functions to narrow in on a sensitivity reader of the desired expertise or perspective.
References
If you are looking for a sensitivity reader to use as reference for your work, you may have to go beyond the realms of third party service platforms. Accuracy and respect is important. Don’t be shy to reach out to individuals who have a strong voice from a community which you intend to represent in your writing. People are more receptive to those who seek opinions and wish to learn, than those who plough ahead in publishing something they never had the decency to vet.
Reach out to community leaders via organization websites, or in-person events. Even if the person you contact isn’t interested in being a sensitivity reader, they may have far more connections to get you in contact with someone appropriate who would. That said, two organizations with a plethora of professional sensitivity readers are $ ACES: The Society for Editing$ and the $ Editors of Color Database$ .
If you are at the stage of working with sensitivity readers, you may find yourself running into needing more than just representational advice… perhaps their insights have illuminated a couple plot holes or continuity issues? If so, don’t fret, a developmental editor can help by combing through your work and identifying structural issues. Check out this article all about developmental editors to assist in deciding whether hiring one is right for you!
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