They accept submissions from everyone, but they also stress that they “are committed to publishing diverse authors and illustrators and believe strongly in producing books that reflect our readers’ own experiences while broadening their perspectives”. They go on to say, “In considering submissions, we prioritize #ownvoices representation of underrepresented and marginalized communities and identities. We encourage creators who identify as LGBTQ2SIA+, Indigenous, Black, and people of color to submit their work. We also encourage submissions from creators living with disabilities. ” As part of this they run a yearly editorial mentorship for writers from historically excluded communities.

To get a feel for what they are currently seeking, spend some time with their new release catalog here. Don’t submit unless you feel like their books are a good fit. You can also generally find recently released Annick Press books in bookstores and libraries, particularly if you live in Canada. They have excellent distribution, generally great covers, and are well presented.

They don’t specifically mention prioritizing Canadian writers, but based on their backlist it’s clear that they do. In fact, the reason I hadn’t reviewed Annick in the past (in spite of owning a lot of their books) is because I assumed that they were only open to work Canadian authors and illustrators. This is in part because they, like many Canadian publishers, are partially funded by the government of Canada.

You can read their full submission guidelines here. Follow all their guidelines carefully before submitting. They do not respond to submissions unless they are interested.

Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2023 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.

A sensitivity reader is a type of editor that looks at manuscripts and other works of art to ensure minorities and diverse identities are accurately represented. After the #metoo and Black Lives Matter movements ushered in a social reckoning, these specialized types of editors are becoming more and more prominent. Though authenticity readers are being used much more now, they are far from new.

A sensitivity reader is a vital resource for authors and creators seeking to ensure that their work is inclusive, accurate, and respectful of diverse identities and experiences. Sensitivity readers critique dialogue, scenes, characters, plot points, and so much more.

Since I’ve begun doing this work, I’ve provided feedback on manuscripts, screenplays, visual art, and even educational material, helping to identify potential issues related to representation, cultural sensitivity, and accuracy. By incorporating the insights of these specialized editors, creators can avoid harmful stereotypes, misrepresentations, and cultural appropriation in their literature, artwork, or marketing materials.

Sensitivity Readers in Literature and Pop Culture

Sensitivity readers have gained prominence in recent years, particularly in the publishing industry. One notable example is the young adult novel The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta, which underwent a sensitivity review process to ensure an accurate portrayal of a mixed-race, gay teenager’s experiences. In early 2023 revisions were made to several Roald Dahl books  after publisher Puffin Books hired sensitivity readers to review the texts. Passages related to gender, weight, mental health, and race were changed.

Expanding beyond literature, the film and television industry has begun incorporating intimacy coordinators and consultants to handle scenes involving physical intimacy and sexual situations, with care and respect. HBO’s The Deuce, a show about the early days of the adult film industry in 1970s NYC, employed Alicia Rodis as an intimacy coordinator, while sex educator Annie Sprinkle consulted.

Other shows like HBO’s Euphoria and Netflix’s Sex Education have utilized intimacy coordinators to ensure the actors’ comfort and safety during vulnerable scenes.

Should I Be Hiring a Sensitivity Reader?

Unless you’re writing a story about a homogeneous society, writing outside of your culture or viewpoint might be a necessity. But, the first thing I tell my consulting clients is to dig deep and ask, “Is this my story to tell?” Examine your reasoning behind writing certain characters, or even wanting to tell this story in the first place. Does the world need another white savior story, or Eat, Pray, Love 2.0, for instance?

First and foremost, sensitivity readers help avoid harmful stereotypes, inaccuracies, and cultural appropriation in creative works. Their feedback fosters more authentic and respectful representations of diverse identities and experiences, ultimately resonating with a broader and more engaged audience. Furthermore, sensitivity readers can assist in steering creators away from negative reviews or backlash from communities that feel misrepresented or excluded. Their expertise acts as a compass, guiding creators towards more mindful and inclusive storytelling.

Finding a Sensitivity Reader

With the expansion of diversity editing and consulting as a service, there are several ways to find a reputable reader. Organizations like Binders Full of Sensitivity Readers can connect you to the right people. Other directories like Salt & Sage and Writing in the Margins offer comprehensive listings of sensitivity readers with a variety of expertise. Additionally, you can do hashtag searches on platforms like Instagram, or reach out to individuals like myself.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring

To ensure successful collaboration, it is crucial to ask potential sensitivity readers pertinent questions that align with your project’s goals. Some key things to consider are:

• What is their experience with sensitivity reading? Literally, have they done this before? Testimonials are a great way for editors to show and prove their abilities.
• Do they have lived experience in the background or subject matter? This isn’t always necessary, but it’s a great indicator that the editor has a good, real-world grasp of the topic
• How do they give feedback and critique? Do they have a system or process?
• Are they charging a professional rate?

Can’t I just ask a friend?

While seeking input from a friend may be convenient and cost-effective, it is crucial to remember that sensitivity reading is a specialized skill requiring expertise and training. As an authenticity editor, I do bring lived experience to the role, but I also bring over ten years of experience as a journalist and editor, and years of activism in the LGBTQ community, not to mention other life experiences like teaching ESL abroad, for instance.

Your friend may not possess the necessary education or experience to provide you with accurate and helpful feedback. As such, it’s important to remember that when it comes to sensitivity reading, you get what you pay for.

Remember, a Diversity Consultant Isn’t a Stamp of Approval

As more people become hip to sensitivity reading, I’ve noticed some potential clients who come to me with the wrong intentions. When I first started this work in 2019, I naively thought that all my clients were upstanding and interested in being better, more open-minded writers. Boy was I wrong. Over the years I’ve run into a few clients who think sensitivity reading is nothing more than a stamp of approval. One client was deeply offended when I suggested some of her chapters read as tone-deaf and racist.

Sensitivity editors are only one part of the process, it’s still up to you to do your background research and be open to hearing and digesting the feedback on the work you create.

Bio: As a sensitivity reader, Niesha’s clients include Penguin Random House, Vox, The Zagat Brand, The Christian Science Monitor, and many other businesses and authors. Additionally, she is a writer, editor, and social media manager.

Every year now on September 30th, Canada honors National Truth and Reconciliation Day, as a federal holiday. The day honors the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities.

This designation was only granted two years ago, after ground penetrating radar was used at former Residential School sites (the last school closed in 1996, when I was 11), to discover the remains of Indigenous children. I use the word discover because I could not think of a better word. The fact is Indigenous people have always known the bodies were there, but it was widely unacknowledged by the media and non Indigenous individuals and organizations. After the initial discovery made headline news, additional discoveries have been under-reported.

For those who do not know, Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families, and sent to residential schools, where they were not allowed to speak their native languages, among many other abuses. These schools had the explicit goal of erasing Indigenous cultures. This happened in both Canada and the U.S.

As of August 2023, 2,743 confirmed or suspected unmarked graves have been found all over Canada. You can learn more about these sites here.

September 30th is also known as Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day was created by Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, a residential school survivor, and you can learn more about Orange Shirt Day here.

Not all of the provinces have decided to support this decision by the federal government, including the province we are currently based in, Ontario.

This is far from ideal, but reconciliation is not just about the government, but the people who live and work on these territories. People, like me, the editor of Authors Publish, who grew up in Toronto, or Tkaronto, which was this region’s traditional name.

Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties, and is the traditional home and unceded land of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee), the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ,  Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Mississauga and the Wendake-Nionwentsïo. This information was gathered from the very helpful website native-land.ca.

I have a mixed relationship with land acknowledgements, which is to say that I think it is very important to acknowledge whose land we are living and working on, and that this acknowledgement can be a potential source of disruption, but I also feel like it can come off as rote, as something said without intention or meaning, or follow up.

Hayden King, an Anishinaabe writer, and the executive director of the Yellowhead Institute, has written about regretting writing a territorial acknowledgement here, in a meaningful and honest way.

But I think it’s important to have these conversations and to actively work towards learning the truth of what happened, and continues to happen in Canada, and across Turtle Island.

I’m going to end with a few resources and recommendations that I personally found helpful. If you have any questions, corrections, recommendations, or feedback of any kind, I am open and listening and can be reached at caitlinelizabethjans@gmail.com.

Many of the links talk directly about genocide and abuse, as well as other hard to read topics.

Resources about Truth and Reconciliation and Residential Schools

Cultural genocide’: the shameful history of Canada’s residential schools – mapped (This an older link from 2021, but I couldn’t find an updated one)

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph

How To Talk To Kids About The National Day For Truth And Reconciliation

Talking to Kids about Residential Schools

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls for Action

Beyond 94 (a website that monitors progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action)

The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations by Shirley N. Hager and Mawopiyane

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Places to Contribute

I really encourage to look into local Indigenous led groups to support, but Canada wide the Indian Residential School Survivor Society is a good starting place, as is Native Women’s Association of Canada, and Indspire.

In Toronto the Anishnawbe Health Foundation is doing important work, as is Indigenous Harm Reduction.

Additional Resources

Telling Our Twisted Histories

Unreserved

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot

Be a Good Ancestor by Leona Prince, Gabrielle Prince Illustrated By Carla Joseph

Indigenous Toronto: Stories That Carry This Place edited by Denise Bolduc, Mnawaate Gordon-corbiere, Rebeka Tabobondung

What Is Land Back?

What is Land Back? A Settler FAQ

An Irritable Métis – Chris La Tray’s Substack newsletter