Posted on 02/17/2017 6:31:40 AM PST by markomalley
Before a book is published and released to the public, it's passed through the hands (and eyes) of many people: an author's friends and family, an agent and, of course, an editor.
These days, though, a book may get an additional check from an unusual source: a sensitivity reader, a person who, for a nominal fee, will scan the book for racist, sexist or otherwise offensive content. These readers give feedback based on self-ascribed areas of expertise such as "dealing with terminal illness," "racial dynamics in Muslim communities within families" or "transgender issues."
"The industry recognizes this is a real concern," said Cheryl Klein, a children's and young adult book editor and author of "The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults." Klein, who works at the publisher Lee & Low, said that she has seen the casual use of specialized readers for many years but that the process has become more standardized and more of a priority, especially in books for young readers.
Sensitivity readers have emerged in a climate - fueled in part by social media - in which writers are under increased scrutiny for their portrayals of people from marginalized groups, especially when the author is not a part of that group.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
1984 was supposed to be science fiction, not an instruction manual.
Am I the only one that sees the humor in this?
My new book on parenting hit Amazon last week. It would give a sensitivity editor PTSD.
The Crybully Commissars have taken over.
Self censorship plus SJW hirings as a form of penance
But they haven’t hired any proof readers or fact checkers.
Just one more reason why many authors are self-publishing or going with small boutique publishers. The bigs are thrashing about in their death throes.
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