Situating Sensitivity Readers in the British Trade Publishing Ecosystem

Abstract The past decade has seen the arrival of a new and distinct class of editorial professional to the publishing field – the sensitivity reader. Welcomed by some as a positive, progressive means of reducing the perceived risk of texts doing ‘harm’ to readers, the practice has been criticized by others for pursuing what they view as bad-faith, censorious readings of literary works. The polarization of this debate has been compounded by the fact that the role of the sensitivity reader is not clearly defined and understood. This article seeks to describe how sensitivity reading functions in the field of contemporary British trade publishing. It applies theoretical approaches from the nascent field of ‘editing studies’ alongside strategies for modelling textual production and dissemination patented by book history. Real-world case studies help channel these theoretical approaches into practical applications, supporting the proposal of new models that allow sensitivity reading, in its current form, to be analysed.