5 Myths About Sensitivity Readers

After working with sensitivity readers on my own projects, I became a bit of an evangelist. But when I bring up the process with someone new to the experience, the same few myths seem to reappear over and over.

This assumes you’re open to the idea at all. Some writers feel sensitivity readers kill creative autonomy and promote a sort of homogenized “wokeism.” I’m not one of them, and I’m incredibly grateful for the people who’ve used their lived experience to make my writing better. Nor do I want to give space to that narrow perspective when open-minded writers have real questions about the process.

So here are the top 5 myths I hear about sensitivity readers and why I think they’re wrong.

Myth #1: “Sensitivity reader” = race.

Sensitivity readers are cross-cultural readers that help you see blind spots in your work when writing outside your own culture. This often includes racial or ethnic differences, but it’s not limited to that at all. Sensitivity readers can address:

Gender
Sexuality
Religion
Age
Class
Physical ability / disability
Body size
and more.

In fact, the more we assume sensitivity readers only help with race, the more we choose to categorize our characters in that simplistic way.

All of us have overlapping cultural identities that factor into our stories, and one character might warrant multiple sensitivity readers for multiple reasons (unless your reader also shares these overlapping cultural experiences with your character).

In screenwriting, we often call on “script consultants” to help with specific questions around law, science, etc. Sensitivity readers consult in the same way.

Myth #2: Sensitivity readers are hard to find.

If you’re struggling to find the right reader, take these steps:

Talk with other writers to get recommendations.
Google the specific type of reader you want. A lot of freelancers out there advertise through their websites (for a higher rate… see below).
Reach out to friends in the relevant community to see who they know.
Contact local colleges and graduate programs to see if any students in literature, dramaturgy, or criticism might want the experience.

While I found two sensitivity readers on Facebook in a private industry group, I’m no longer on social media. Now I would contact other writers directly for recommendations, build relationships with freelancers, and talk with professors to see which students might be a good fit.

Myth #3: Sensitivity readers are expensive.

(And/or: Sensitivity readers are the same as beta readers and don’t need to be paid).

Unlike beta readers, you should always pay sensitivity readers.

Beta readers are typically friends or fans who agree to read your work and comment on it as a favor. You may thank them with a drink or dinner, but it’s not required.

Sensitivity readers, on the other hand, bring very specific (often traumatic) experience to a work. They accept the possibility that the work will upset or offend them. And they’ve agreed in advance to educate the writer without necessarily knowing if that writer will be receptive.

It’s a vulnerable position, and one that deserves far more compensation than most of us can afford.

That said, students who want the experience will work for far less than someone with a freelance business. I’ve worked with readers in a range of $50-$200. It all depends on your budget and needs.

If friends in the relevant community offer to read for no pay, you should still throw them a dinner or find another sneaky way to thank them. It’s labor, pure and simple, and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Myth #4: I don’t need to bring on a sensitivity reader, because eventually my publisher/producer/editor will do it for me.

While many publishers do bring sensitivity readers into the process, I highly recommend starting with your own reader(s) far earlier than that, for a few reasons:

It solves big problems before you’re in too deep.
If your story hinges on an event or exchange that’s culturally insensitive, you may have to do major rewrites down the road. Best to find these problems as early on as possible.
Your work will read better to agents and other gatekeepers.
It’s always funny to me that people assume their work will get to the publication stage before they’ve done the work of checking their own blind spots. If your dialogue reads as inauthentic or your minority characters feel underdeveloped, your industry readers might toss it out before you ever get the chance to work with one of their highly-skilled readers.
It shows a commitment to your craft and your readers.
Beta and industry readers will likely appreciate that you cared enough about representation in your work to get it right the first time. In addition, it protects them from having to read hurtful content or poor representations of minority characters.

Myth #5: I don’t need a sensitivity reader because I know my work isn’t offensive.

In my experience, a sensitivity reader has never found a major problem in my work—”major” being defined as something that required a serious rewrite. Instead, we often talk through specific phrases or moments that feel inauthentic.

If the standard is “you didn’t use bigoted language",” the standard is far too low. Obviously, most of us who would ever consider a sensitivity reader aren’t writing violently racist rhetoric for kicks.

Instead, think of sensitivity readers as cross-cultural guides. They help us understand the world outside of ourselves and be more truthful in our representations of others.

Want to learn more about how to find and benefit from sensitivity readers? Check out my article “Working with Sensitivity Readers.”