Speakers
Session 1 – breakout seminars (running concurrently)
This session is for all editorial professionals and who work with both non-fiction and fiction content, as well as scholarly content and marketing material.
This one-hour session explores the history of authenticity editing, what an authenticity edit is, who can do it, what qualifications are needed, how to find credible editors, what an authenticity edit involves (as well as the costs), why some are reticent to use authenticity editors, the benefits of authenticity editing, and how professionals can offer this service whilst building up a credible name for themselves alongside the editing that they already do.
Delegates attending this session will learn about this growing, niche area of editing, its importance in publishing today, how it is still very much 'human' dependant rather than at risk of being taken over by AI, and how they can establish this service along with other editing services they offer.
This session aligns with 'The Value of the Editorial Profession' as it highlights areas which AI cannot replace, i.e. individual lived experiences and human perspectives, as well as highlighting a specialist area of editing which publishers and authors are increasingly requesting the help of today.
Davina has been an authenticity (aka sensitivity reader) since March 2022. She has worked with traditional publishers (often the 'Big 5' publishers in the UK and the US), indie publishers and journals to edit numerous non-fiction, fiction and scholarly works of varying genres. She uses her experience and knowledge in this field – as well as her previous career as an NHS Healthcare Professional and her personal lived experiences – to inform, guide and help others learn about authenticity editing.
Davina is a freelance authenticity (sensitivity) editor, copyeditor, proofreader and copywriter, and has had varied experience throughout her professional life.
She recently worked as a Marketing Specialist for a marketing consultancy specialising in scholarly communications within the research ecosystem and used her editorial skills to complete projects for scholarly organisations.
Prior to this, she had an enjoyable 17-year career in the NHS as an Advanced Practitioner Sonographer.
She won a place on a writing course for the HarperCollins UK Author and Design Academy in 2022 and is working on writing her own fiction and non-fiction book. She will be speaking at the London Festival of Writing in June 2025 for Jericho Writers, and will be running a workshop for writers on ‘Writing What You Don’t Know’.
She enjoys volunteering and has been a primary (and now currently a secondary school) governor since 2019. Davina lives in Yorkshire, Leeds, with her family and can be found running the Yorkshire hills, baking homemade treats or being a ‘mum taxi’ to her daughters.
You can contact her at davinabhanabhai@gmail.com