Yes and no. “Sensitivity reading,” as well as “targeted expert reading,” “authenticity reading,” and “cultural accuracy editing” all describe the same service–analyzing a manuscript to ensure it is not perpetuating bias, harm, or stereotypes. Having seen some of our competitors, we’re confident that our deliverables are of extremely high quality, backed up with scholarly sources, multiple experts, and cultural insiders, and aligning to formats and standards expected by publishing professionals. They are far from the personal essay and book report you might have seen some freelancers in the past. We chose the term “cultural accuracy and sensitivity editing” to emphasize how extensive and professional our work is and to underscore our philosophy that this isn’t just about feelings, it’s about representing the world as it is.

No. Censorship has a legal definition and is not applicable to private enterprises or platforms. If a government imprisons you for saying something, that is censorship. If a publisher declines to distribute your book, they have made a business decision. Cultural accuracy editors are not censors because they do not have the power to keep your work from being published, nor do they have the final say over your manuscript. Like any other consultant, they are merely making suggestions, while you actually control your work.

These words are the counterpart to “dominant” social groups. In western Anglophone society, “marginalized” typically applies to people who are nonwhite, people who are not heterosexual, people who are not cisgender, people who are disabled, immigrants/migrants/refugees, and/or people who are not Christian.

You are allowed. Cultural accuracy editors are professional readers and editors, not random people off the street who have never read a story before. They are highly qualified to analyze and assess literature, and part of their job is to help authors differentiate between unconscious bias and complex, nuanced literary content. Nobody is going to tell you that you can’t have characters with bad traits or qualities.

No, it’s not. You’re confusing racism with prejudice. Racism is a system, not an attitude. Claiming not to “see” race or other differences may be meant as a gesture of goodwill, but it serves to erase or disregard very real experiences of discrimination and suggests you don’t believe that people experience the world differently, but of course we all do!

Cultural accuracy and sensitivity editors are, in many ways, signing up to be triggered, retraumatized, or hurt on purpose. It can be draining–yet immensely gratifying–work. They also do not have final say over your manuscript, so while they offer their expertise and suggestions, it is still your choice whether or not to incorporate them into your work. In some notable incidents, some authors and publishers used cultural accuracy editors’ names to imply endorsement or to avoid responsibility for harm caused, and that negative experience led many editors to stop engaging in this work. Pink Plaid serves as the go-between for the client and the cultural accuracy editor so that both parties feel supported and safe. More often than not, editors are willing to share some identifying information (e.g. first name or initials, general biographical information), and their names often appear in the acknowledgments in books they’ve worked on because clients were so pleased with their work!

Certification and accreditation happen when stakeholders in an industry or discipline come together to determine standards and form a governing body to oversee them. There is no governing body or certifying agency for any aspect of book publishing, including sensitivity reading or cultural accuracy editing. There may be individuals purporting to offer certification, but they are not recognized in any formal way.

All of our freelance editors sign nondisclosure agreements, so they are not allowed to share your materials with anyone, publicly announce that they worked on your book, or in any way roast you online or in person (that is, nobody is going to go “you’ll never guess how racist this first draft was–check out how ignorant this person is!” You should feel safe coming to us, and all of our editors agree to approach you and your project with the same goodwill with which you send it to us–they will identify bias, offensive language, and so on, but the assumption is always that you mean well and are open to learning and taking in criticism, just as you would from any other editor.

Cultural accuracy editors will note when they encounter statements that are not factual (and explain them or provide evidence), but for heavily researched or technical documents like textbooks or white papers, you should not consider this a substitute for journalistic fact checking.

Nobody speaks for everybody, but a person from a particular culture or group probably knows more about that culture than an outsider. And cultural accuracy editors have made it their job to know their subject not just as an individual but as a scholar, critic, teacher, or analyst, so they are not just speaking from personal experience.

There’s a difference between being offended and being harmed. Marginalized groups are so called because they have routinely been disenfranchised, oppressed, discriminated against, and/or misrepresented for generations. That is real harm. “Offended” describes something more particular to a single person’s individual sensibilities, comfort, and history. Our work aims to reduce institutional harm on groups by helping authors identify and rework ingrained stereotypes, oppressive language, and unconscious bias they may not even be aware of. It is an act of social responsibility and good faith to seek input on your book. There is really no difference between engaging a cultural accuracy editor or engaging a doctor, police detective, paleontologist, or art historian to look over your manuscript. It’s all about getting feedback and guidance on specific subjects from subject experts. And by the way–we have editors with expertise in other “hot button” subjects, not just oppression and marginalization. Need someone who knows about military service? Sex work? The foster care system? We’re your one-stop shop for experts.

Cultural accuracy editors are professionals taking time and drawing on years of academic, professional, and/or lived experience. They should be compensated the same way any other consultant would be paid. The $250 you are accustomed to seeing has been misquoted as a recommended flat rate when it was only ever meant as a floor for shorter works. Our fees are based on industry standards for other types of editing. A few hundred dollars for a novel-length work simply does not adequately cover the hours of work required (while all manuscripts and editors are unique, you could assume roughly 25 hours of work for a 50,000-word manuscript–at $250, that’s a paltry $10 an hour for highly skilled work!) and years of experience qualifying the editor for the work, nor Pink Plaid’s administration and quality control.

That’s a great approach! We can set you up with an editor who will do a phone or video call with you.

No, your nonfiction manuscript can benefit from this service as well. Language choices, accurate histories, cultural appropriation, and other such issues are not fiction-specific.

In a word, no. While some exceptions can be made for certain formats or subjects (e.g. one short story in a collection; textbooks that require different experts for different chapters; or revisions of work we’ve already looked at), we almost always require a full manuscript and full fee. This is partly because an extended narrative is not comprehensible if someone is only given random pages from all over the manuscript and partly because authors typically underestimate how much a side character appears or influences a story overall.

No, we can review illustrations, cover art, video game stills, and other visual materials. We also have editors who specialize in audiobook performance assessment. We can do live consults if you’d like guidance on projects that aren’t yet or never will be books, such as IP development, game world building, museum exhibits, curricula, or toys.