Behind the ScenesPatrice Williams Marks on the complex, often secret work of publishing's sensitivity readers.

Behind the ScenesPatrice Williams Marks on the complex, often secret work of publishing's sensitivity readers.

Issue 47

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  • Words Okechukwu Nzelu
  • Photograph Ye Rin Mok

Hundreds of thousands of books are published every year in the US. Alongside the author, most books are nurtured by a skilled team of editors, cover designers, proofreaders, sales executives, production workers and more. Increasingly they are also the product of work by people like Patrice Williams Marks, a sensitivity reader who helps ensure authentic portrayals of marginalized people and experiences. 

Okechukwu Nzelu: How did you get started?

Patrice Williams Marks: I fell into it. I had a group of writer friends, and we would critique each other’s material. If they had a Black character, they would ask me if it sounded right. And I would ask the same if I had a character that one of them fit.1 

ON: How do you find the emotional side of the work?

PWM: One of my first paid reviews ...

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