Stop moaning about sensitivity readers – if there was diversity in publishing we wouldn’t need them | Juno Dawson

Since 2011, all my book editors have been white. Why wouldn’t I want another perspective on the characters I invent?Until a few years ago, only publishing industry insiders would have understood the role of the sensitivity reader. Then came American Dirt. The Jeanine Cummins novel sold to a US publisher for a seven-figure advance, was chosen for Oprah’s Book Club, and was touted as “the new Grapes of Wrath”. On release in 2020, early readers noted that the white author’s depiction of Mexican people was, at best, flawed, inaccurate, and riddled with stereotypes and, at worst, simply racist.A sensitivity reader is an additional editor who works alongside the publishing house staffer who acquired the rights to your book. This individual will conduct a very specific read of the manuscript, and offer notes on characters from marginalised groups, or elements which may cause offence. The argument goes that if American Dirt had been sufficiently scrutinised by a reader of Mexican heritage, some of the furore could have been avoided. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-08 09:00:06 UTC ]

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-05-27 12:33:49 UTC ]
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The Crisis Below the Surface: How the Pandemic Weighs on Women in Publishing

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[ Publishing Executive | 2020-05-27 12:00:06 UTC ]
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2020 Amazon Literary Partnership Grant Recipients Announced

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Juno Dawson's YA trilogy optioned for TV by The Lighthouse

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-27 00:45:39 UTC ]
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Comics for a Mobile Generation

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Marketing to kids in difficult times

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-20 21:41:29 UTC ]
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Weird, Funny, Delicious Books Wanted: A Conversation with Emma Ramadan, by Veronica Esposito

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[ World Literature Today | 2020-05-18 18:20:27 UTC ]
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Coronavirus: Italy’s Literary Agents Form ADALI, Their First Association

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-05-11 03:29:40 UTC ]
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It's time to face the data

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-05 04:49:45 UTC ]
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AAP Monthly StatShot: February

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-30 02:18:22 UTC ]
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Industry Sales Up 3.5% in First Two Months of '20

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Organizations Urge Public to Support Bookstores

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-16 11:54:29 UTC ]
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Bluemoose's Duffy calls for industry fund to support indie presses

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-14 17:49:26 UTC ]
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New Works by Writers with Disabilities Hit Publisher Lists

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Julia Alvarez discusses her radically different novel, 'Afterlife' (and defends 'American Dirt')

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-02 22:24:09 UTC ]
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[ The Guardian | 2020-03-26 16:00:31 UTC ]
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It Hasn’t Taken Long for COVID-19 to Wreak Havoc on Publishing

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[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-26 13:00:37 UTC ]
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PA 'strengthens platform' with new branding

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-25 01:18:09 UTC ]
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