Are you looking for a sensitivity reader or editorial services? You’re on the right page! I do both. For writers who are looking for these services on their own, I do all my editorial and sensitivity reading work through my local literary organization’s coaching program. The org is Richard Hugo House, and they’re wonderful. If you’re a publisher or an author whose publisher will be paying for these services, I contract with you independent of Hugo House!
If you’re a writer who’s funding their own services, please click here and scroll down to find my picture, then click on it to see my services page at Hugo House. I offer a sliding scale for specific circumstances, so be sure to check that out!
If you’re an editor, or an author with publisher support, please keep reading and fill out the form at the end!
If you’d like to see testimonials for my work, please click on the Hugo House link above.
Rate:
$130/hr
This rate may seem high to you. However, sensitivity reading involves not only editorial and craft skill, but also life experience, critical analysis, knowledge of tropes and cultural portrayals over time, and emotional labor. The industry has also changed since the original suggested fee of $250 became the norm. My rate is commensurate with my expertise and experience. (Also, I’m a fast reader.)
Turnaround:
Dependent on my availability; two weeks is my usual standard.
I read for:
Trans men and trans masculine characters, and nonbinary characters who are assigned female at birth; as well as queer and/or bisexual cis women, trans men/trans masc and AFAB nonbinary characters.
I read for these identities because I have held all of them at one time or another. I may also choose to give feedback on the representation of other identities based on my knowledge, but do not provide formal reads for identities outside those which I hold or have held. I am most familiar with reading for these characters in novels, but have also read for other mediums such as podcast scripts and am open to such works on a case by case basis.
As a sensitivity reader, I can help you with:
-Description and authenticity of character behaviors, emotions, and experiences
-Language
-Stereotypes and generalizations
-Normative assumptions (ie, the assumption that trans people must “look cis” to be valid, or that queer people want to assimilate into straight cultural norms such as marriage/kids/homeowning)
-Worldbuilding in fantasy and contemporary related to gender and sexuality (such as: how are different genders treated? Is your magic system trans-exclusionary?)
-Nuts and bolts of social and medical gender transition for trans men, trans masculine and AFAB nonbinary folks: social and legal name changes, changing pronouns, coming out, changing appearance through clothing and hair, binding, taking hormones, getting top surgery
How I work:
I provide feedback letters as long as I feel necessary but no less than 2 pages, as well as in-line comments, and take followup questions related to my feedback. As a reader, I highlight what is working well alongside areas I feel could be strengthened, and I like to ask questions and offer options, rather than prescribe what I think a writer should do.
A note about sensitivity reads + some legalese:
Sensitivity reads are like any other editorial service; they look at an aspect of your work with the goal of improving it, but they can be fraught for some people because they examine issues of bias and stereotypes in representation. If you request a sensitivity read, I assume you are ready to receive and sit with feedback that, while delivered with thoughtfulness and empathy, may challenge your ideas and beliefs about certain identities and how you relate to and represent people different from you.
In addition, for legal purposes, my service as a sensitivity reader for your manuscript is not an endorsement of your work, a defense against criticism from other parties, or a guarantee that your work is free of any and all problematic content, and you cannot use my name in these contexts. If I agree to be a sensitivity reader for your manuscript, I will not disclose any information regarding your manuscript to anyone other than pre-approved parties prior to publication. I reserve the right as a reader to critique the text of the published novel.
Did you read the whole thing? Thank you! Please submit your request using the form below. I look forward to hearing from you!
RAY STOEVE 