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Cultural Accuracy & Sensitivity Editing (CASE) (also known as Sensitivity, Authenticity, Diversity, or Targeted Expert Reading) involves vetting a book, manuscript, or other document for issues of (mis)representation, bias, stereotypes, and a range of other factors that may be deemed harmful or antagonistic to a person or group.
Learn more about cultural accuracy editing in this article by KAA Senior Editor Hannah Gómez, featured in Publishers Weekly’s Book Publishing Almanac 2022. Find answers to frequently asked questions and concerns here.
Read testimonials from bestselling authors, publishing executives, cultural institutions, and other CASE clients here.
Clients Who Utilize KAA's CASE Services
KAA's CASE Services
We do full manuscript markup and write an editorial letter with a special focus on the areas of marginalization, diversity, localization, or other concerns you identify. Sample editorial notes are available by request.
Traditional editors can help you with your commas and apostrophes, but regional dialects, local patois, or hybrid languages require deeper knowledge. African American Vernacular English (AAVE), Spanglish, and Jamaican patois are just some examples of linguistic families that have specific grammars and cadences to be mindful of and that we have edited for clients. Sample editorial notes are available by request.
How can you respectfully and authentically create characters, worlds, and plotlines that reflect diverse cultures and peoples? Plan your IP and licensed product lines with publishing professionals who understand cultural sensitivity, diversity, and inclusion.
Whether you are looking for cultural competence training for your editorial team, seeking to better encourage authentic representation and social responsibility in the creative writers you teach, or looking for an expert opinion or speaker on social and cultural issues impacting the publishing industry and literary worlds, look no further than our CASE department to help you with your professional development, conference, or panels.
We Also Offer
Art & Illustration Review
Translation
Consulting Conference Calls
Book Club/Discussion Guide Development
Partnering with Hannah and the KAA team has been a consistently positive experience. Their team’s exceptional attention to detail and commitment to cultural accuracy is commendable. KAA’s sensitivity editors are not only thorough but also incredibly perceptive and the value they’ve added extends beyond the pages, fostering a deeper understanding and respect for diverse narratives and for authors writing outside of their lived experience. I strongly endorse their services to any writer seeking to enhance their manuscript with conscientious and respectful representation.
I’m so happy that I moved forward with a Cultural Accuracy & Sensitivity Edit 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 CASE, 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 Edit before sharing their work with the world.
KAA provided the BMA with knowledgeable, thoughtful outside readers to ensure our label copy was as accurate, clear, and sensitive as possible. Our presentation of complex topics benefited from the support of readers who were not just subject matter experts in the topic, but also attuned to the specific needs of museum visitors.
We believe books should be authentic, original, and deeply human. Our editorial services are about more than just polishing sentences; we ensure that your book truly resonates with your readers and meets your personal and professional goals. It takes an editor’s human intuition, empathy, and creativity to know when and how to ask the right questions. Your book deserves the skill and craftsmanship of experts who understand publishing, but also truly care about you, your book, and your goals. AI doesn’t care. It literally can’t.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are your editors certified sensitivity readers?
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.
Why can’t I have the cultural accuracy editor’s name and contact them directly?
Cultural accuracy 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. KAA 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!
Why should I pay for this?
If your book has already been acquired by a publisher, they should be paying. We are happy to help you make your case.
Is this only relevant for fiction? I write nonfiction.
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.
I only need a reader to look at one particular side character/side plot. Can I submit just those pages of my book for a lower fee?
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.
Do you only review text manuscripts?
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 on Zoom or in person 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.
Isn’t this censorship?
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.
What do you mean by “marginalized” or “oppressed?”
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.
Is this the same as sensitivity reading?
Yes, “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. We chose the term “cultural accuracy and sensitivity editing” at KAA 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.
Is this the same as fact checking?
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.
But if [x] people aren’t a monolith, why should I let one person from that group speak for all of them?
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.
If someone is offended by my book, that’s their problem. They’re too sensitive.
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. Take a look at our website for a list!
Why do you charge more than the $250 I have seen recommended in so many articles and websites?
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 KAA’s administration and quality control.
But there’s a difference between a bigoted character and a bigoted author. I should be allowed to write about CHARACTERS who are offensive.
You are allowed. Cultural accuracy editors are professional readers, not random people off the street. 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.
Talking about race is the real racism. I don’t see color (or gender or disability or ____).
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!
