Why you should include content warnings in your novels

Content warnings are a brilliant system for authors to preface their story with warnings about sensitive themes, scenes, and plotlines. Like warnings for TV shows and movies, content warnings for books let readers know what to expect and whether the book is right for them. Below, I explain all the reasons why you should include content warnings in your books.

You might also know content warnings by another name, ‘trigger warnings’. Content warnings is a more inclusive term, encompassing things that aren’t always triggering or sensitive to everyone but could be for different readers. Trigger warnings is a term used in psychology, especially when referring to PTSD.

Content warnings are more relevant for the vast majority of people, whether it’s something as simple as just being grossed out, something you’re not in the mood for today, something that makes you feel uncomfortable, or something that brings up traumatic memories.

The benefits of including content warnings in your novel

The biggest benefit of including content warnings in any novel is simple: you’re making sure the right kind of reader is reading your book. A list of content warnings prepares readers for the kind of storyline you’re telling without springing it on them, which means your book will be more satisfying and have a better chance of receiving positive reviews (though I don’t recommend authors read reviews of their books).

Think about the last time you stopped reading a book. Outside of more subjective opinions like writing style and plot progression, was there anything in the book that surprised you or made you feel uncomfortable? Did you read on regardless or did you put the book away for later (or never)?

Content warnings help readers avoid books that they aren’t comfortable reading, while keeping you as the author in a positive light. Readers are more likely to check content warnings to determine whether they’re in the right frame of mind to read the book, or if it’s a book they wouldn’t enjoy.

Everyone has bad days. When you want to read a romance novel, but you’ve recently been dealing with health problems, you’re probably not going to feel up to reading a romance about a protagonist struggling with terminal illness or similar health problems to what you’re dealing with.

By providing content warnings, you’re letting readers opt out of reading on their bad days, and they’re more likely to come back to your book later if it’s something they can usually cope with.

If a reader really loves one of your books, but you also have a fantasy novel that deals with religious trauma and they’re not comfortable reading that, they know they don’t have to read that book. They can look at your other books – maybe you have another fantasy novel with a coercive marriage which they do want to read.

On the flip side, if you don’t warn your readers about this kind of content, you might receive negative reviews about how they didn’t expect a graphic depiction of abuse, or sexual assault, or miscarriage. That’s the worst case scenario of not including content warnings. In most cases, readers will just DNF your book.

Here’s a personal example: when I spent two weeks in hospital recovering from a broken ankle, I wanted to read Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhou. But the depiction of foot pain was too much for me, because it just reminded me of my own pain. I put the book aside and didn’t read it until months later, when I actually loved it. If that had been a library book, or a book loaned to me by a friend, I would have returned it without trying it again.

Does this risk spoiling your readers?

Some authors worry that content warnings risk spoiling your readers about your plot. But with a basic template of how to word your warnings, you don’t have to worry about this.

Take domestic abuse for example. There are so many different ways domestic abuse can present, and different aspects of domestic abuse can be highlighted.

Content warnings aren’t an explanation of what happens, they’re a list of tags, just like genres, that tell your reader what to expect. They can even drive readers to read your book!

If your horror story features werewolves, a content warning like ‘body horror’ can tell your readers that you’re potentially going to address the idea of lycanthropy as body horror. Between reviews mentioning this and your content warning list, you could attract more readers who are seeking that content out.

Why content warnings will get you more happy readers, not less

Content warnings will get you two things: more happy readers and more positive reviews. It does this by ensuring your readers actually want to read what you’ve written, and they’re not going to be surprised by sudden upsetting or uncomfortable content.

Warnings also make it easier for people to recommend your book, like the opposite of book trope graphics. If a reader knows that their friend is sensitive to animal death, they can make sure that their friend knows that ahead of time, even if they haven’t read the book.

It’s not just for romance novels

There are two common misconceptions I see online about content warnings: the idea that only romance novels list contain them and the question around horror novels of “Wouldn’t it just be the whole book?”

The biggest reason that romance novels are more likely to have content warnings is that the romance genre is generally considered a safe place for readers. As Eve Pendle says: “romance especially is perceived as a safe place for readers, and this is a precious trust.” Content warnings secure that trust with your readers.

But content warnings shouldn’t be limited to any genre or readership. Speculative fiction – fantasy, science fiction, and horror – often explores very intense themes around humanity and what it means to be human. Crime fiction describes horrific events and inventive ways of dying. Historical fiction contains different societal structures and rules, with misogyny a major feature of many eras. Mystery fiction usually contains secrets, especially family secrets.

Here’s another personal anecdote about horror novels and content warnings. I read a horror novel that was as horrific as I generally love to read, but there was one problem: vomiting. I have emetophobia, a phobia of vomit, and this was too much for me. It made it difficult to read the multiple (5+!) scenes featuring vomit because I wasn’t expecting it. I had to keep taking a break from reading it… which meant that when I next picked it up, I’d forgotten what to expect before the next vomiting scene arrived.

I could handle the rest of the book, which would have had a content warning list of at least half a page. But this one thing made it hard to read, as much as I was enjoying the story. If I had been ill at the time, I would have stopped reading entirely because it would have been too much.

Every book, regardless of genre or the age of its audience, should ideally have content warnings. Children’s picture books could use content warnings to help parents know whether a story featuring grief for a pet is appropriate for their child; children’s literature can help librarians pick out recommendations for children; Young Adult books can warn teenagers if they’re interested in certain topics; and adult fiction can help readers avoid subjects that feel too fresh or overwhelming.

Content warnings examples

I’ve gone over a few examples of using content warnings, or not using them, above, but here are some more occasions where content warnings were helpful or could have been helpful. All of these are real examples:

• A cosy romance novel that dealt with grief from the start of the story (no content warning)
• A Young Adult LGBTQ+ novel with sexual assault (no content warning)
• A sci-fi novel with warnings for violence, body horror, toxic relationship dynamics, reproductive coercion, sexual assault, and many more
• A romance novel with warnings for everything except ableism against an “odd” character
• A horror novel about cults suddenly including a graphic body horror scene with no connection to anything else (no content warning)
• A cosy romance novel with warnings for fertility treatment and childlessness
• A second-chance romance novel with surprise terminal illness halfway through the story (no content warning)

In every case of a book containing content warnings, I was able to judge immediately whether or not I’d enjoy the story with two key pieces of information: the blurb and the content warnings. Whenever I’ve read a book with no warnings and been surprised by something negatively, I’ve had a less enjoyable time than I would have with the knowledge upfront.

Let’s take the example of the YA novel with sexual assault. I remember enjoying every aspect of that book except for the chapter featuring the sexual assault and the chapter afterwards dealing with it (because it wasn’t touched on afterwards). What part of the story do I not remember? What I actually enjoyed! The surprising content is what I remember, and it’s why I don’t recommend that book to people who I think would also enjoy it.

Where should the list go?

The question of where your content warnings should go is one that plagues writers, editorial professionals, and publishers alike. My general advice? Put content warnings in front of your story, because eBook readers won’t see it before they start reading or even know that it’s there and readers browsing books at the library are more likely to check the front of a book.

The only time I think you should put content warnings at the back of a book is if it genuinely spoils something. I don’t mean something generic but something highly specific. Even then, you should ask friends for feedback on your wording to see if you can make it sound generic.

Even with the content warnings in the front of a book, not everybody will notice them. But chance of people who need them finding it is higher.

Content warnings list resources

There are some fantastic resources out there that list content warnings in categories, which I recommend below. When I’ve proofread books with a list of warnings, I like to refer to these after reading the book, but I also keep a running list of potential warnings as I come across them. It helps me to measure whether the warning is absolutely needed or if I’m recommending it ‘just in case’ for the publisher and author to consider.

Trigger Warning Database is one of the most comprehensive content warnings list resources out there. In addition to their masterlist of content warnings, each warning is a link to a list of books. Their masterlist includes the following categories:

• Hate, Discrimination & Oppression
• Sex and Sexual Violence
• Abuse and Relationships
• Mental Health and Suicide
• Alcohol and Drugs
• Pregnancy and Childbirth
• Blood, Injury & Medical
• Death and Loss
• Violence and Crime
• War and Genocide
• Natural Disasters
• Animal Death and Cruelty

Sisters in Crime, a writing association for women crime writers, have a smaller list of examples of sensitive content, as well as how to word content warnings and where they should be introduced.

I also find it helpful to see what other authors are doing, so here’s some author websites with pages dedicated to their books and the content inside them:

• Brynne Weaver’s warnings page – Brynne uses a combination of plain content warnings and more descriptive warnings.
• Emily McIntire’s warnings page – Emily uses dropdown menus to hide the content warnings, so you have to click on the series and book you’re interested in reading.
• Alice Oseman’s warnings page – Alice has a mix of plain content warnings and more descriptive warnings, as well as adding some brief sentences to summarise some books’ themes.