Need an authenticity/sensitivity reader?

Davina Bhanabhai

writer, editor, sensitivity/authenticity ​reader

Who I am

Hello! Lovely to meet you.

Since you're on this page, I'm guessing that you'd like to find out a little bit more about me, ​my background, my experience and what I do. So briefly...

• I’ve lived my whole life in West Yorkshire in the UK (yes, I love Yorkshire tea!) and you'll ​often find me either walking or running up Yorkshire hills, writing/reading or ​baking/cooking. I am a mindfulness advocate - it's magical!
  

• I identify as a British Indian woman. I am a child of immigrants (my parents are Indian ​Gujaratis who settled in the UK in the 70s) and I embrace both British and Indian ​cultures.

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• I am a mum to two colourful daughters and a wife to a very patient man!

• I began my career in Radiography and then quickly became an Advanced Practitioner ​Sonographer, working for the NHS for 16 years.

• When I had an unfortunate accident, I left the NHS to focus on recovery, therapy and ​rehabilitation. It was after this that I immersed myself into the world of writing and ​sensitivity reading - two things that I love to do!

• My ‘claim to fames’ are meeting Baby Spice and Scary Spice in Leeds in the 1990s, and ​meeting Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan in the 1980s in Mumbai’s ‘Film City’.
  

Email Me to discuss your project requirements

What I Do

I’m a Writer, freelance editor & ​Sensitivity/Authenticity Reader.

I'm currently working on writing a non-fiction and fiction book of my own.

I'm also a sensitivity reader.

Also known as authenticity reading, sensitivity reading strengthens a story by ​evaluating its representation of specific identities or experiences, usually when a ​writer is writing about something they don’t have firsthand experience with.

A sensitivity reader is someone who reads for offensive content, ​misrepresentation, stereotypes, bias, lack of understanding, etc. They create a ​report for an author and/or publisher outlining the problems that they find in a ​piece of work and offer solutions in how to fix them. By doing this, the literary ​quality of a work is substantially improved and the author/publisher is less likely to ​face criticism.

A sensitivity reader will often come from a specific or marginalised community ​that the author is writing about. They will include academic as well as personal ​experience in their reading. It is suggested that an author hire more than one ​sensitivity reader, especially if they are writing about a culture that they are not ​familiar with. Although many individuals may come from the same cultural group, ​we are all shaped by the place that we were raised in and different personal ​experiences.

I also provide proofreading and copy editing services.

background & experience

What to expect

How I work

Here’s what you’ll get if you work with me:

• Feedback on your manuscript using Highlights and Comments features
  
• A comprehensive report summarising overall impressions, ​recommendations and suggestions
  
• Links to articles and resources that explain or reinforce feedback
  
• An assessment of the language, in which I’ll highlight words or phrases ​that may unintentionally create harm, perpetuate stereotypes or feed ​stigma
  
• Confidentiality (a strength of mine with my background in working with ​and caring for patients and handling sensitive, confidential medical ​information), collaborative work and supportive feedback.

What to expect

Pricing & Project Process

Pricing

Each sensitivity reading project requires a different level of ​evaluation, work and feedback. Because of this, a personalised ​proposal will be created for you based on your manuscript.

I’ll give you a fixed project fee so that you won’t have any ​surprises. To give you a better idea of where rates start, please ​see the Editorial Freelancers Association's recommendations .

If you'd like to know more about the process from initial contact ​to project completion, please read further.

What to expect

Pricing & Project Process

Project process

If you choose to work with me, the following gives you a general idea of ​what the process may look like. Please note that each process is individual ​and unique for each project due to the differences in content for each ​manuscript.

INITIAL DISCUSSION

When you begin a query to me about your project and provide details ​(desired service, word count, genre, timeline, areas of concern or focus),

• We’ll discuss your project details and your goals via email, video chat, or ​phone call
  
• You’ll receive a proposal for your project so you know what to expect.
  

BOOKING MY SERVICES

Once you decide that you’d like to continue and the project details have ​been finalised

• Initial contracts are discussed. I don't have a standard one of my own ​due to requirements being different between clients, however, I'm ​happy to abide by yours though I might ask for an additional clause if ​needs be.
  
• You’ll pay a 10% deposit to reserve your project slot in my schedule.
  

my experience

Previous work

I've worked with major, traditional publishers and indie authors on ​both adult fiction and non-fiction books. I've also worked on ​children's educational textbooks. Some of these projects were gained ​through an agency and some were freelance.

I'm open to sensitivity reading almost all projects which I have had ​lived professional or personal experience of and taking on projects ​which I feel I can provide and add meaningful, constructive and ​valuable feedback to.

TESTIMONIALS.

“ I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank, and wholeheartedly recommend, Davina ​Bhanabhai for her sensitivity review work on my literary thriller, The Silent Brother (Northodox Press 2022).

Davina was brilliant. She read my novel and came back to me with detailed, written feedback regarding ​all areas of concern. She was clear about where I’d got things wrong, without being judgmental. She ​forgave me my mistakes and was happy to exchange emails and review my (numerous) amendments ​until we felt we’d represented people fairly, avoided clichés, and reviewed the whole of the book in such a ​way as to ensure that all the characters were rounded and balanced. In the end, Davina became more ​than just a sensitivity reader. She doubled as a beta-reader / editor and helped me hone the final version ​of my novel into a meaningful, social commentary, (as well as, hopefully, a compelling read).

I should also say that Davina was extremely professional. She met every deadline and always did what ​she promised, when she promised.” - Simon van der Velde, The Silent Brother.

my experience

Previous work

TESTIMONIALS.

“Davina has worked with Write Up on several projects and has always been insightful, thoughtful and direct. ​Her feedback is always well contextualised, which is a real boon for editors who then have to choose which ​changes they should make. I'm looking forward to working with her again soon!” - Holly Edgar, Founder of ​WriteUp.

“We had the joy of working with Davina as on authenticity reader on one of our manuscripts, and she delivered ​thoughtful, informative, insightful, and nuanced notes on all of the subjects we had requested (and even threw ​in some great copyediting for us). She delivered her notes with kindness and with an eye towards education on ​the subject matter, and we could not be more appreciative of her efforts.

During our work together, Davina was professional, communicative, timely, and an overall pleasure to work ​with—we’d work with her again in a heartbeat, and could not recommend her more to anyone seeking an ​authenticity or sensitivity reader in her areas of expertise.” - Editorial Director, PRH US.

“Timely, thoughtful and thorough – Davina's insight was much valued on our project.” - Commissioning Editor, ​HarperCollins UK.

So, reach out and let's discuss!

your Experience

Giving feedback

I want to reassure you that it is NOT my intention to discourage your creativity, censor your work or judge your character!

Sensitivity reading is one step in a constant process of promoting diverse, responsible books and cultural awareness which makes writing accurate, interesting and illuminating.

Sensitivity reading checks whether characters / information in books are portayed with authenticity and respect and helps authors avoid using harmful stereotypes and problematic language.

As a sensitivity reader, I conduct a detailed, focused read of a book to ensure that no bias or stigma is perpetuated while helping you develop a well-rounded, nuanced work that accurately and authentically reflects and represents the human experience, without causing harm.

In a typical project, I may suggest more nuance, development or detail about the content. I rarely recommend anything to be removed entirely; rather, I suggest that things are reconsidered, expanded on or clarified. I always try to recommend how to change something in a supportive way with links to resources to back up my suggestions, rather just stating what problematic areas need changing and leaving you to it!

contact me

Let's talk about your project!

Send me a message about your project and I'll let you know what I can do and how I can help.

I usually respond within 24 hours - if you haven’t heard from me by then, please make sure to check your Spam folder!

Please note: projects with a deadline of less than two weeks away will incur an additional 25% rush fee.