Why You Should Include Content Warnings in Your Books

Photo by Vincentas Liskauskas on Unsplash.

In the past couple years, I’ve noticed more and more books contain content warnings between the title page and the beginning of the book. It’s been a joy to see. I love that the indie space is spearheading this too! Including content warnings is helpful for people who have PTSD or are sensitive to certain topics.

While warning your readers about topics and themes at the beginning of your book hasn’t been typical historically, people tend to let each other know when a book contains heavier topics, so it’s not a new idea. But what does it mean for publishing? Let’s take a look.

What is a content warning and what does it look like in a novel?

Content warnings are short paragraphs of text between the title page and the first chapter that list any content that might be sensitive to readers. This could include physical violence, sexual assault, or blatant acts of racism.

The goal of a content warning isn’t to give away what happens in the book or to outline exactly where in the book these events happen. The goal is to make the reader aware that there are difficult topics within, let them know the nature of the topics, and allow them to decide if that’s the book they want to read.

Some examples of content warnings in novels I’ve read look like this.

Screenshot from the book Moth by Lily Mayne.

The text reads: Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of death and violence.

This content warning mimics the warnings found on movie ratings. It’s vague but it tells the reader what kinds of content is involved and allows them to either prepare themselves or make a decision based on the warning.

Screenshot from the book Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall.

The text reads: Main character with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder (that does get diagnosed). On page panic attack, hospital stay due to panic attack, treatment plan for anxiety disorder discussed, emotionally unavailable parents, very graphic swearing, cyberbullying, religious and racial microaggressions, Islamophobia (challenged).

This is one of the most in-depth content warnings I’ve seen, and it details aspects of the book that are challenged or shift as the story progresses as well as the umbrella topics they fall under.

Regardless of how in depth an author chooses to be, content warnings are helpful for readers who want to make an informed decision about the book they’re about to read.

Why should I include a content warning in my book?

If you’re the kind of person who loves to jump in to a book without knowing anything about it, content warnings might confuse you. However, many people do want to know what they’re getting into before they start reading a book. Including a content warning doesn’t mean that people who want to be surprised have to read it. They can just skip it. However, including it benefits so many people.

People who’ve experienced trauma carry that in their body. And reading about it can make those same feelings resurface. Of course, it’s not always so black and white as “reading about war brings back all the traumatic war memories” for example. However, it’s likely that something in a description of a war will bring up those kinds of feelings. So even though what triggers someone’s trauma may be much more subtle than an overall topic, it’s important to allow the person to make the decision for themselves if they want to venture into that domain.

For example, I went to read a hockey romance one day. It was enemies to lovers, and I was excited for some deep angst and longing. However, the book’s opening scene was a description of an operation without anesthetic on someone’s dining room table. To say I was confused would be an understatement. I was horrified. I scrolled back to see if there were any content warnings I’d missed. I had missed a link to the author’s website. On the website, this book’s content warnings were as follows:

By main characters: other man/fuck buddy drama, dubcon, anxiety, hospitalization, critical talk about diets/food (fat/diet shaming). By side characters: physical abuse (on page), psychological abuse (on page), suicide (on page but not graphic).

Had I known about all of these, I would not have chosen that book on that day. Here I was thinking this book would be a cute but angsty book (the cover is pretty dark, so I wasn’t expecting super fluffy or anything), and instead, we jump right into the deep end with physical abuse.

I don’t have any physical abuse in my past, so this wasn’t something that triggered a bodily reaction I couldn’t control, but it was unpleasant and not what I was expecting. Had I taken the time to look at the warnings, I would have known that in advance and saved myself some trouble.

That’s all a content warning is. Something to warn your reader of potentially upsetting content.

Does every book need a content warning?

I wouldn’t say every book needs a content warning, but I’d love to see it become a standard practice. There’s really no downside to having them. It takes a minute or two to write and can save someone, in the most minor case, time and, in the most major case, their mental health.

If you’re unsure what content warnings your book might need, ask one of your beta readers or your editor if they have any ideas. Someone who’s come to your book with fresh eyes will probably have some good insights!

To Sum up

While not every reader needs content warnings to enjoy a book, they are useful tools for those who wish to know a bit more about what they’re getting into. Content warnings can save readers time and keep people sensitive to certain topics safe.

Have you noticed any content warnings in books recently? Let me know in the comments.