Make Money as a Sensitivity Reader

We’re living in a far more connected, more aware world these days. And people want to see that diversity reflected in the content they consume. More than that, many writers will create storylines outside of their lived experience – so they want to make sure they are representing people fairly and accurately, without leaning into dangerous tropes.

A sensitivity reader comes on board a project to read the manuscript, pitch document, or other documents to ensure that areas within their speciality are fairly represented. They may have input into challenging dangerous representations or tropey stereotypes, to make sure a character or storyline portrayal is realistic.

The reader will look over documents or manuscripts in detail, and outline where the storyline or character representation is either accurate or could use improvement. This means you will need to have an analytical mind and be able to present the information in a clear and concise way in your report.

Almost anyone can be a sensitivity reader if they have critical thinking skills and are good at communicating. They need to be able to explain why something is an unfair representation, too – so they need to be aware of cultural and political nuances, and be able to discuss how one person might seek offence at a portrayal where another of the same community would not.

Sensitivity readers are there to ensure characters and storylines are three-dimensional representations of people, rather than ones that focus on the trope or stereotype. They recognise that some stereotypes exist for a reason – and that using them as a basis can be useful, if done with awareness.

Lived experience is the key term when it comes to what makes you a sensitivity reader. This could be living as a person of colour in a predominantly white environment, or living with a disability or as a carer to a disabled person, or being in the LGBTQIA+ community. Sensitivity readers are also sometimes called authenticity readers.

Being Freelance

Sensitivity readers are freelance. This makes it an ideal side hustle to run alongside your day job, especially when you’re starting out. Just make sure you’re realistic about how long it will take you to read and write up a report on each project.

Being freelance isn’t for everyone, but it is ideal for flexible hours that you set yourself, and sensitivity reading is done from home so it’s a great remote option. It is not likely to bring you a full-time income for a while as you get started and build up a regular client base, so make sure you factor that into your finances and career decisions.

This is an unusual document compared to a normal CV, as your other work experience might not be relevant to the role. What you should do is look for examples of sensitivity reading reports online to get an idea of how they are written, and pick a few books, films and/or TV shows to write up a sample report on. This will form your portfolio.

For your CV, your work experience is relevant if it is related to either the subject matter of your area of expertise, or within communication skills. For example, if you studied an English degree, that is useful to list. Or, if you work with underrepresented voices in your day job industry, list that. Make sure you think about more than your work experience, too.

Your personal lived experience is what is important when it comes to sensitivity reading. Describe the areas you would be a reader for – such as LGBTQIA+ topics, disability representation (even better if you can be specific about the type), being working class (both publishing and the screen industries have a class issue), being a parent, living in different countries or cultures, or being neurodivergent.

Understanding the nuances of these topics is really important. While your personal experience is very relevant as a sensitivity reader, it’s important to understand and represent alternative viewpoints of others in similar experiences. For example, a common phrase when it comes to autism inclusion is ‘when you’ve met an autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person’ – meaning, every autistic person’s experiences are different, so they cannot all be painted with the same brush.

Publishers are the most common companies that hire sensitivity readers. This is because books are often filled with many characters and it could be impossible for the author to have a realistic understanding of every single background of each of them. It’s particularly important if a main character is not the same as the author’s lived experience.

Reach out to publishers to offer your services. There are tons of small presses who would be a good place to start, as the Big Five publishers will opt for established and experienced readers. Gain your experience with small publishers first.

You can also reach out to independent authors who are self publishing their book. In fact, this is a big and growing market, and it can be easier to connect directly with authors on platforms like Threads and Instagram to find clients. Indie authors won’t have a huge budget, but they are a solid community who will provide regular work through word of mouth for those who prove themselves to be great sensitivity readers.

It can help to have a website if you can afford one. If not, make your social media profiles public and update your bio to include your lived experiences, as well as post regularly about being a sensitivity reader. Create a profile on platforms such as Fiverr to help publishing companies and indie authors find you, too.

Production companies use sensitivity readers – also called story consultants – in a similar way to publishers. They are often brought in fairly early into the development process, to ensure a pitch is fairly representing all communities and characters. They may also be brought in on long-running dramas like soaps such as Emmerdale, Eastenders, and Coronation Street, when a character has a storyline related to a particular subject. With this in mind, they will often reach out to charities to support the development of a storyline, so having a good relationship with charities linked to your area of expertise can help open these doors for you.

Approach production companies with a short email detailing your experience and interest in supporting their work. You might not hear back from anyone for months on end, but when a relevant project comes up they will get in touch. This can pay very well, into the thousands per script, but it’s hard work to come by so you need to be persistent.

When you’re a sensitivity reader, it can be easy to overshare. You want to explain why you’ve made certain comments about a character or storyline because of how it relates to your personal experience.

While this might seem useful, it can be a huge emotional labour on yourself. You will need to set boundaries, and that includes being able to recognise that you have the right to not share your personal, specific, experiences with anybody you don’t want to.

In addition, sharing some more personal experiences that are not directly related to the manuscript can cause difficulty for the other person you share with. You may accidentally trigger someone’s fears, worries, or own experiences in a way that can cause harm. This is why it’s important to stick to the provided material (which they are expecting to discuss) and provide your report based on the broader knowledge you have about your communities and experiences, rather than your own specific details.