Should I Include Trigger Warnings in my Book?

Trigger warnings and content warnings are becoming more common in the marketing for books, and sometimes printed into the books themselves. They’re a valuable accessibility and inclusion tool, but some authors feel they can spoil the story, especially in books that rely on a twist or shock value to be successful, which may be more common in the thriller and horror genres.

What’s the difference between trigger warnings and content warnings?

Content warnings are broad descriptions of the kind of topics that will be addressed by a book. For example, ‘explicit sexual content’ or ‘substance abuse’ are content warnings that let readers know what to expect in general. 

Trigger warnings typically refer to more specific traumas or phobias that might be ‘triggered’ or ‘set off’ by reading the content in the book. For example, a chapter that describes a character vomiting in detail might have an emetophobia trigger warning.

They’re not entirely distinct categories, and many things fit into both. For example, ‘sexual assault’ could be used as either a content warning or a trigger warning. 

Where do trigger and content warnings appear?

Content warnings often appear as a list of words or short phrases on an author’s website, a book seller page, or in the first pages of the book. Trigger warnings may be listed similarly, but they are sometimes included closer to the actual trigger, such as a the beginning of a chapter or scene, so readers can skip specific portions of a book they may have an issue with. Some trigger warnings also include a page number where the story proceeds following the trigger. 

Why should I include trigger warnings in my book? 

Content warnings and trigger warnings help readers make informed decisions about what content they want to consume. It’s an empathetic and inclusive choice that lets readers protect their mental health. 

Some authors fear that including warnings at the beginning of a book may discourage purchases or readers, and yes, a warning may cause someone who would have a bad experience with your book to avoid it. However, a reader who is surprised by content that negatively effects them may DNF, and will likely be soured on the book and possibly the author as a result. Avoiding the potential for negative reviews as a result of springing topics on readers is an advantage to trigger warnings. 

DNF: Abbreviation for "Did Not Finish," often used when someone was so put off by a book they couldn't or didn't want to read to the end.

In addition, some readers look to content and trigger warnings in order to find content they do want to consume. Similar to tags on sites like AO3 that allow users to filter to exactly the stories they want, content warnings can help the people who would most enjoy your work find it. 

Other considerations for empathetic authors

There are no hard and fast rules for what to warn readers about—or whether you need to warn them about anything at all. What you choose to include in your book will determine the audience you attract and community you build around your stories. Authors are getting more creative with how they choose to build community. For example, KC Davis posted an interesting idea for helping anxious readers: a site featuring one-word answers to basic questions like, “Does this book have a happy ending?” to minimize spoilers but let people relax into enjoying the book. 

Whether to warn or not is up to you, but it is a question to consider before publishing. I've listed the content warnings and anxious reader spoilers for A King's Trust here.