Cultural Accuracy Reading
Ensure your manuscript isn’t offensive, inaccurate, or perpetuating harmful stereotypes
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What Is Reading for Cultural Accuracy?
Cultural Accuracy Reading (also known as Sensitivity, Authenticity, Diversity, or Targeted Expert Reading) entails scrutinizing a manuscript for issues of (mis)representation, biases, stereotypes, and a variety of other factors that may be harmful or antagonistic to a person or population group.
This article by UA Senior Editor Hannah Gómez, which appeared in Publishers Weekly'sBook Publishing Almanac 2022explains more about cultural accuracy in reading.
Why It’s Important for Your Book
Many publishers are now looking for these critical analyses for manuscripts in order to release culturally accurate books. This line of work arose in response to events and grassroots movements such as #WeNeedDiverseBooks, #MeToo, and #BlackLivesMatter, as the public demands fair and accurate representation, justice, and equity for readers from diverse backgrounds, as well as improved publishing ethics.
Several titles have been retracted, condemned, or even canceled entirely in the last decade due to insensitive or harmful content.
Our Cultural Accuracy Reading service allows a professional editor who specializes in identifying potential cultural accuracy issues to review and vet your manuscript.
The feedback you will receive is not intended to censor or condemn your book, but rather to empower you to make decisions about it.
It was an absolute pleasure getting to work with Updike and our team. We reached out to them for an authenticity read and the reader we were paired with was thorough, highly attentive, and had an excellent grasp of the subject matter at hand. We’re extremely grateful to the KAA team for their professionalism and resourcefulness, and highly recommend their services.
“I’m so happy that I moved forward with a Cultural Accuracy Reading at KAA, so my book could be more inclusive and resonate with a wide range of readers. They spent time making sure they found the best reader who could address my concerns and personal blindspots. My reader shared clear comments and provided great alternative words and phrases to explore using instead. I also loved the helpful resources and links to articles to provide me with more context and education. I not only have a better book because of a CAR, but I also feel like a better human. I have been recommending this service to my friends and clients because I truly believe all authors should have a Cultural Accuracy Reading before sharing their work with the world.”
The Reading Process for
Cultural Accuracy
01
Select Categories of Cultural Accuracy
Identify specific sensitivities (see list below) on which you want to focus, or choose "general cultural accuracy reading." You can also choose whether your manuscript will be reviewed by a single reader or by several. Each cultural accuracy reader will be an expert on the topic and will personally identify with the chosen category.
02
Review of Cultural Accuracy
The selected audience(s) will go over the entire collection and provide specific and general constructive criticism on any possible concerns, as well as editorial suggestions on how to improve it.
03
Senior Editor Evaluation
One of our Executive Editors will review the comments from the point of view of a publisher as well as provide extra insight.
Customize Your Cultural Accuracy Reading for Any of the Following
Our process allows you to present specific questions or concerns for cultural accuracy readers to consider while reviewing your manuscript and to choose the exact type of reader you want based on (but not limited to) the criteria listed below:
- Adoption/foster care
- Ageism
- Alcohol/substance abuse
- Arab/Middle Eastern/North African Identity
- Asian/Pacific/Desi identity
- BDSM/kink/consensual fetishes
- Black/African identity
- Chattel slavery
- Chronic illnesses
- Cognitive impairments and disabilities
- Domestic violence
- Fatphobia/body image/body acceptance
- Gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or other sexual orientations
- Grief/trauma
- Immigration
- Incarceration/prison/criminal justice system
- Latinx/Hispanic identity
- Mental illness
- Military service/veterans
- Mixed-race identity
- Native/Indigenous/First Nations/Aboriginal identity
- Neurodivergence/autism
- Nonconsensual/taboo fetishes (e.g. pedophilia/grooming, necrophilia, incest)
- Physical disabilities
- Poverty/socioeconomic disadvantage
- Refugees/asylum seekers
- Religion/faith/spirituality/
atheism - Self-harm/suicide
- Sex work professional
- Sexual assault/abuse
- Trafficking/contemporary slavery
- Transgender or nonbinary gender/two-spirit identity
Contact us for a quote today!
Disclaimer: While our cultural accuracy readers are well trained and highly qualified, and utilizing our service gives authors confidence and comfort in knowing they made every possible effort to ensure their manuscript is not insensitive, there is no way to safeguard against all potential cultural accuracy issues, and we cannot make any guarantees or warranties herein.
Join Our Team
and Make a Positive Change
Interested in working with us as a Cultural Accuracy Reader?
Please send a detailed cover letter and bio to [email protected] with the subject line “Cultural Accuracy Reader.”