Authenticity Reading

$0.012 per word or $40 per hour

What is an authenticity reader and why should you hire one?

Authenticity readers, sometimes called sensitivity readers, play a crucial role in the writing process by providing valuable feedback on cultural, ethnic, gender, or other sensitive aspects of a story. Their insights help ensure that diverse perspectives are accurately represented in literature. By engaging authenticity readers, authors can avoid harmful stereotypes, cultural inaccuracies, and misrepresentations that could unintentionally offend or harm readers. These readers offer a fresh set of eyes that can identify blind spots or biases in the narrative, ultimately fostering more inclusive and authentic storytelling. Their feedback allows writers to approach sensitive topics with empathy, respect, and accuracy, enhancing the overall quality and impact of their work.

Click here to contact us about hiring a sensitivity reader for your manuscript.

Authenticity Readers

Craig Gibb (he/him) is a cisgender gay author, editor, and publisher in Winnipeg, Canada. He lives with a moderate-to-severe hearing loss in both ears. He writes gay erotic romance under the name Cameron D. James, gay young adult romance under the name Dylan James, and is the co-owner, publisher, and lead editor at a five-imprint publishing house that includes Deep Desires Press (romance), Deep Hearts YA (queer young adult), Dreamsphere Books (SFF, horror, thriller, etc.), Prairie Heart Press (local interest non-fiction), and Dreamscape Activity (coloring books). Outside of books he’s a food preserver, epic gardener, and podcast co-host.

Areas of authenticity Craig can read for:

  • Hearing loss from birth
  • Gay identities and relationships

Genres Craig reads:

  • All genres, both fiction and non-fiction

Harry F. Rey is a Scottish author and screenwriter of over a dozen gay fiction novels. He is a graduate of Penguin WriteNow 2020, a member of the TV Foundation's New Writers Collective 2024, and has been Pushcart-nominated for his short stories. He holds a masters degree in history and international relations with a strong interest in Classics and ancient history and literature. Harry’s work explores LGBTQ experiences across diverse genres, from sweeping WWII historicals to epic space operas and queer millennial rom-coms. His debut young adult gay romance from Deep Hearts YA recently topped the Amazon teen charts. When not writing or scouring second-hand bookshops to blog about lost classics of gay literature, he’s cooking and listening to Taylor Swift.

Areas of authenticity Harry can read for:

  • Gay identities and relationships
  • Sexual health and HIV/AIDS
  • Historical fiction (particularly pre-20th Century)
  • Jewish characters
  • Scottish/British characters and Scotland/UK-based settings

Genres Harry reads:

  • All genres, both fiction and non-fiction

TreVaughn Malik Roach-Carter is a Queer Black writer from California currently living in New York. He is a fiction Editor for The Ana Literary Magazine and the Digital Editorial Assistant at Publishers Weekly. He hold an MFA in creative writing from San Francisco State University. His work has been featured in Ramblr Magazine, Tayo Magazine’s special issue: SOFT, Transfer Magazine, BAD EGG Magazine, Borderless Magazine, Stellium Magazine, and Querencia Press. He is a recipient of the Leo Litwalk Literature Award, a Browning Society Award, and a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the African American Literature category. He is the author of the Young Adult novel The Aziza Chronicles: Awakening, published by Deep Hearts YA in 2022, and the nonfiction short story collection Her Daughters, published by Fourteen Hills Press in 2023.

Areas of authenticity TreVaughn can read for:

  • Gay/Queer Identities and Relationships
  • BIPOC Experience
  • Poly relationships

Genres TreVaughn reads

  • Fiction
  • Young Adult
  • Fantasy
  • Sci-Fi