Sensitivity Readers Beware

A resource for sensitivity readers, authors, editors, and publishers to stop the mistreatment of sensitivity readers in the publishing industry.

Common types of sensitivity reader mistreatment

  • Non-payment or delayed payment for completed work

  • Rude or abusive responses to feedback provided to a client; threats of blacklisting in the industry

  • Pressure to provide more work beyond what is agreed in a contract ("just one more thing...")

  • Naming sensitivity readers without permission, usually to use as a shield against criticism once work is made public

    This kind of behavior is never okay, and we should take appropriate steps to hold our clients accountable when this happens.

I think I was mistreated by a client. What can I do?

    • If possible, always take full payment of your services upfront by sending an invoice before starting a project. See the “best practices” section below for more details.

    • If you are dealing with an independent client, re-send the invoice and keep following up consistently. If you’re dealing with a publishing house or an imprint, reach out to your editorial contact and/or directly to the Accounts Payable (AP) team. Try to keep communication professional, yet firm.

    • If you’ve signed a contract with a publisher, go back and check the wording.

      • If the contract mentions a “30-day dispute period,” the publisher is obligated to contact you with any issues about your invoice within 30 days after you send it in to them. Meaning, if you haven’t heard anything from them 30 days after submitting an invoice but you also still haven’t gotten your payment, you need to follow up ASAP.

        • In most cases, publishers pay 30 days after an invoice has been submitted and processed for approval internally.

    • There are also other options available:

      • Small claims court

        • Small claims court is an ideal option as it usually does not require expensive legal representation.

        • However, please do note that most small claims court procedures require that you be based in the same country as the person you are claiming against.

      • Filing a complaint with regulatory or government agencies where the publisher is based

      • Legal action

        • Consult a lawyer and request for a statutory demandto be written and sent to the client .

      • Larger publishing houses will also have a corporate whistleblowing channel that will alert their internal Legal/Legal Compliance team, who in turn can handle the issue with their own AP team internally.

    • r/authenticityreaderscommunity is a brand new space for readers to share their experiences anonymously. Please refer to the resources section of the subreddit on how to speak up about your experiences in a safe way.

    • You also have the option to go public on your social media. However, please be very careful of any legal repercussions (e.g., NDAs) if you choose to do so.

      • Please see the “resources” section for examples on past articles and social media posts that have been written by sensitivity readers about their experiences in the industry.

    • Talk to your fellow sensitivity readers. For one, you may reach out to me directly at soupgirlreads@gmail.com. While I am unable to provide any legal advice, I can lend a sympathetic listening ear.

  • Many issues involving sensitivity reader mistreatment have been swept under the rug because of a fear of retaliation and blacklisting from the industry, as many readers rely on their freelance income to live, or otherwise wear other hats in the publishing industry.

    • This is why r/authenticityreaderscommunity was created as brand new space for readers to share their experiences anonymously. Please considering joining this community to get the support you need!

    • Writer’s Beware also has an amazing article on the myth of blacklisting in the publishing industry:

Best Practices & Expectations

For clients

  • A sensitivity reader is not an editorial position, but leans more towards a consultancy role.

    • As a sensitivity reader, my main role is to provide feedback on manuscripts based on my lived experiences as part of a marginalized community. 

  • We do not expect clients take every single piece of feedback that we give into account when editing a manuscript.

    • This is such a common misunderstanding, that these days, a lot of publishers actually add this to their contract! At the end of the day, my role is to provide as much feedback as I can based on my expertise and lived experience, and hope that this feedback is used by the editorial team to make sure that marginalized communities are represented accurately in manuscripts written by those who may not necessarily have had these lived experiences.

  • All feedback we give as a sensitivity reader are suggestions, not demands or solutions.

    • We cannot find exact solutions to every plot-based issue that is discovered to have occurred due to cultural inaccuracies or insensitivities - that is the job of either/both the editor and the author after the feedback is given. While I do try to be mindful to provide alternative suggestions when making critiques, these are only exactly what they are - suggestions.

  • There is a very high chance that even a singular cultural/identity-related inaccuracy can break the whole plot of a book apart.

    • This is why it is crucial that sensitivity reading is done at an early stage of editing and publishing, so that writers, editors, and publishers have ample time to deal with these issues before any hard deadlines. 

  • All clients are always welcome to seek second opinions if you need more opinions before making a final editorial decision.

    • For obvious reasons, one person cannot speak for the experience of an entire marginalized group or experience. 

  • If you have any concerns about the quality of feedback that you are paying for, please feel free to ask for sample work from previous projects.

For readers

  • If possible, always try to receive full payment of your services upfront by sending an invoice before starting a project. Only start working on a project once you’ve received your payment first.

  • Additional work = additional payment, always. Always itemize your services in a contract and draw solid boundaries on what you can and cannot do beyond the stipulated agreement.

    • While answering one-off questions to clarify your feedback is generally acceptable, make sure that you are compensated appropriately for more labor-intensive follow ups, such as second reads or further research.

  • If you feel like a client has started to cross a professional boundary, disengage immediately.

    • In sensitivity reading, this can look like the following:

      • Accusations of gatekeeping and/or policing language

      • Accusations of censorship

      • “But I’m not racist/sexist/homophobic/ableist!”

    • This is also why it is important that you get paid upfront, as no-payment and payment delays can be used as a retaliation tactic.

    • Document everything, but refrain from responding in kind.

[WIP] Resources

Click here for an archive of articles and social media posts that have been written by sensitivity readers about their experiences.