- A reader from a community represented in your book.
- Reviews for accuracy and respect in portrayal.
- Cost: $250-$1,500 per pass.
- Common reasons: characters of different race, sexuality, disability, religion, profession.
- Reads happen after developmental edit, before line edit.
A sensitivity reader is a reader from a community represented in your book (race, sexuality, disability, religion, profession) who reviews the manuscript for accuracy and respect in how that community is portrayed. Sensitivity reads typically cost $250-$1,500 per pass; most books with marginalized characters benefit from at least one sensitivity read before publication.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Sensitivity reads catch authentic-feeling errors that the writer’s lack of lived experience makes them blind to. A great sensitivity read protects both the community being represented and the author’s reputation. Skipping the read when a community is centrally represented is one of the most-cited causes of "this book got it wrong" criticism.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A clear ask: which community, what’s the character’s role.
- A sample-page request if you’re unsure of fit.
- A budget: $250-$1,500.
- A 3-5 week turnaround.
- Multiple readers for prominent representations (not just one voice).
- A "consider, don’t comply" stance on suggestions — they’re informed advice.
Chapter iii·Example
A working novelist writing a Deaf protagonist hires two Deaf sensitivity readers ($1,200 combined) after her developmental edit. Both flag the same three issues: an unrealistic hearing aid moment, a sign-language conversation that misses cultural context, and the protagonist’s relationship to spoken language that needs nuance. She revises with both readers’ input.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom holds sensitivity reader notes and revision plans alongside the manuscript — every read in one project.
See the Edit studio