Trigger/Content Warnings
I am very glad I learned about this particular topic in my publishing journey.
A trigger/content warning is an objective statement on potentially disturbing thematic and/or graphic content. The idea is that CWs offer readers informed consent before they start reading a book. In my view, CWs are not spoilers because writing is so varied that we don't know what direction a book will take us in until we read it.
I can't speak to traditional publishing but there is a general inclination now in the self-publishing world to include CWs for books. Not all authors who have this content in their books do this. I did and here's why.
In an earlier blog post, I mentioned that reading is subjective. In addition to personal preferences, people have different backgrounds and experiences—trauma, mental health struggles—and certain content may be sensitive for certain readers, exacerbating these issues.
While I tried my best to create as safe as a reading experience as I could for my books, I know they include thematic content that can be disturbing. And while I would love for the world to purchase and read my books, I know they are not for everyone.
In fact, when I would talk about my debut novel when it first came out, I struggled to explain the themes, especially when parents asked if their teenaged children could read my work. My answer would always be the same: that parents should read the book themselves and then decide if their children should. Now, I just make an additional comment for readers to be aware of the CWs on my website or Goodreads. My book blurb on seller websites also refer to CWs. It’s made explaining my book’s thematic content much easier.
I respect readers and I don’t want any of my books contributing to an unsafe mental health experience due to unexpected content. Goodreads often includes CWs, either listed in the blurb or in thoughtful reader reviews.
(Tip: IMDB.com's Parent's Guide for movie and television content helps navigate this media. I’ve been using this feature for years to make my viewing choices.)
Mind you, it took quite a bit of tweaking to get my CWs just right. An easy Google search will show an author how to write CWs. But there's so much happening in Imperious Realm in so many different ways that I quite simply forgot after publishing which issues might require CWs. A tip to any authors is to compile CWs while you're editing, proofreading, etc. Also, in my book series I explore an entire system of oppression with multiple contributing factors. It's difficult to compile this in a way that makes sense or is not overly detailed. After multiple tries, I think I got the CWs to accurately reflect the book's content.
Readers can skip these warnings if they like, or based on the CWs choose whether to read a book. I'm fine with whatever choice they make.
To see my CWs, visit this page on my website: https://www.athenezadam.com/books