Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

After reading my novel, The Abattoir of Dreams, a reader posted in a Facebook group about how they thought it's description should include trigger warnings.

This got me thinking about the topic and I wrote a blog post about it. I asked other authors and a leading UK publisher for their opinions, and it led to widespread comment and debate across social media. Here's a link to the blog post. Please leave a comment and share your opinion here, or on the post.
http://marktilbury.com/warning-this-b...

Interesting. I was having a discussion about this in regards to tv shows with a friend of mine, specifically one that had several scenes of sexual assault.

I agree (with some of the replies you had on your post) that readers should be able to tell from the description of the book what kind of story they are about to read.

Having said that, this did remind me of the time a father asked me if it would be okay for his daughter to read my first book. While the subject matter did involve murder, I don't specify in the blurb how that is approached and there is a difference between reading something like an Agatha Christie murder and Joe Hill's Heart-shaped box (sorry, only examples I could think of right now).

But no, I don't think descriptions should include trigger warnings, but an ages 18+ might be a way to inform readers that there is something more graphic inside.

My opinion is that if the blurb is well-written with the correct understanding of what a blurb is for and who it serves, then a trigger warning will not be needed in any case, for a potential reader will already be advised of the general content from the blurb.

Meaning that if someone feels a trigger warning is needed, it's likely a sign the blurb is not as well-written and informative as it should be.

In the article you state, "The overall opinion was that the book description should make the content of the book clear, so that readers are aware of anything they’d prefer not to read before buying the book. I think that this approach is easier for both publishers and indie authors to implement"

If customers feel a trigger warning was needed then the blurb failed to do that.

Someone else is quoted as saying, "‘if you’re looking at a horror book, you’d expect to be scared, you shouldn’t need a warning."

That depends. Horror is a very broad genre. Some depicts graphic and gory violence, some does not. So "scared", maybe. Disgusted, grossed out, sickened, not necessarily.

Readers should be able to tell what type of book it is, and have a general understanding of the content, from the blurb. If the content is overly graphic and/or disturbing beyond what is typical for a particular genre that should be made clear.

But putting the responsibility all on the reader to choose what books they're likely to enjoy misses the fact that many blurbs are not reasonably informative to potential readers, and quite often are actually misleading.

It's also very short-sighted to shrug off reader concerns by saying "if they don't like a book they can just stop reading", because at that point they've already wasted their money on a book they do not enjoy. Sure, the seller of the book doesn't care at that point, they've got the sale regardless. The seller should be interested in assisting readers to avoid that scenario, not be adversaries. Blurbs should help a book find the right audience for that book, and help those who are not going to be the right audience know they should probably give it a pass.

Another quote states, "‘Trigger warnings have their use in some areas, but trying to place warning signs before all painful discussions will not make us stronger."

A book containing a graphic rape scene, or graphic scene of torture, is not the same thing as a "painful discussion".

"Trigger warnings in texts are ultimately unhelpful and decrease literature’s ability to shock us, invite us to question things or to take action."

"Literature" doesn't have the right to "shock", "invite us to question" things without our knowledge and consent. Consumers have the right to making informed decisions about what they will and will not purchase and read. They get to make that decision, for themselves. And if the blurb hinders that rather than assists that, then the blurb has failed that reader.

And in yet another quote from the comments, " If you’re a grown-up, you should be able to tell if a book is going to be your cup of tea."

Sure, if the blurb provides the information needed for readers to be able to reasonably make that determination. Sadly that is often not the case.

I have read a lot of blurbs where it's clear the person who wrote them thought of that area as a place for marketing and promotion. It isn't. Blurbs should be written as objectively as possible, devoid of bias - or at least overt bias. It's not the place to try to convince as many people as possible to buy and read the book. It's the place to assist readers to know what type of book it is, basically what it is about, and have a feel regarding any type of graphic content. Helping the book find the right audience.

I am against trigger warnings for the above reasons, however trigger warnings are not censorship. Those are two very, very different things.

Yes, people should decide for themselves what books to read and which to avoid, but blurb writers need to ensure they're provided a reasonable and truthful amount of information in order to do so.

It's at author's discretion, of course.
If you've written a crime novel, you can expect some murderous scenes, and as many have said, this should be apparent from the blurb.

However, in terms of abuse, this is a different matter. It may not be immediately obvious. And it can cause great distress in readers who are survivors.

My own book which includes CSA is obviously going to contain it, but my blurb makes this clear. And then I put trigger warnings on the chapters where it occurs, so they could skip them. The rest of the book has information to inspire hope.

So, it depends on the book and the author.
But if it's a topic you may not necessarily expect in said book, a little trigger warning might be a courteous thing to provide.

I actually don’t agree with a lot of what has been written. Trigger warnings are not a form of censorship or some sort of suppressive force imposed on creativity. No one is saying “don’t write these triggering things”, they are just saying “hey, please give me a head’s up that this material is coming so I can prepare myself or choose to skip it.”

I don’t think the place for a trigger warning should be in a blurb, because as people have mentioned, this runs the risk of the blurb turning into a litany of warnings rather than a description to lure people in. Instead, for any chapter that contains sensitive material, why can’t there be a short TW under the chapter title that simply says: “This chapter contains scenes of rape/ assault/ violence (etc.) that some readers may find disturbing”. That’s all there is to it. No censorship. No hampering creativity. Minimal effort. Helping a lot of people.

Hayley wrote: "Instead, for any chapter that contains sensitive material, why can’t there be a short TW under the chapter title that simply says: “This chapter contains scenes of rape/ assault/ violence (etc.) that some readers may find disturbing”. "

I appreciate the intent, but that is too late. By then the consumer has already purchased the book.

And, again, I'm not a fan of trigger warnings per se, but if there's a reason for any sort of heads up it needs to be at the consideration phase.

Alexandra wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Instead, for any chapter that contains sensitive material, why can’t there be a short TW under the chapter title that simply says: “This chapter contains scenes of rape/ assault/ vio..."

This raises an interesting point: do we assume that readers would not want to purchase a book that had any triggering content in it, or do we assume that people would buy the book because they are intrigued by the story and would just want a head’s up for any triggering content. I think people fall into both categories, and catering to each group requires taking a different approach to trigger warnings (i.e. blurb/ front cover vs chapters)

Hayley wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Instead, for any chapter that contains sensitive material, why can’t there be a short TW under the chapter title that simply says: “This chapter contains scenes of ..."

The bottom line is people have a right to know what they're buying before they buy it.

And no, I don't agree there should be "trigger warnings". I think readers should be advised as to content, and can be without "warnings".

Hayley wrote: "I actually don’t agree with a lot of what has been written. Trigger warnings are not a form of censorship or some sort of suppressive force imposed on creativity. No one is saying “don’t write thes..."

I'm aware this is a complicated subject, but I don't really get how your plan could work without spoiling the mystery/suspense/surprise in a book for everyone - unless there could be a way that only people who need trigger warnings could see them. Maybe with the popularity of electronic books it could work - you could simply turn on trigger warnings if you needed to, while everybody else is unaware of them.

Petra wrote: "Hayley wrote: "I actually don’t agree with a lot of what has been written. Trigger warnings are not a form of censorship or some sort of suppressive force imposed on creativity. No one is saying “d..."

The e-book on/off option is a really great idea!

For hard copies, I don't think the TW needs to be detailed. Maybe as simple as "this chapter/ book contains content some readers may find disturbing - see page X for more details", or even just "Content Warning - see page X". Then (if you are so inclined) you would flip to page X at the back of the book which would provide some very brief detail on the nature of the content e.g. is it violence, rape, racism, child abuse etc. This wouldn't spoil anything for readers who don't need TWs but would provide some peace of mind to those who need them. Just thinking on my feet here.

Hayley wrote: "Maybe as simple as "this chapter/ book contains content some readers may find disturbing "

As a reader that'd just tick me off. And it'd be enough to cause me to not read any book that did such a thing, even when the content itself wasn't an issue for me.

If it's not there in the blurb/description, then that's where it needs to be, if there's a real issue. And if it is there then it doesn't need to be anywhere else, people then know what they're getting.

Alexandra wrote: "As a reader that'd just tick me off. And it'd be enough to cause me to not read any book t..."

We are in agreement with having them in the blurb, but I think we should agree to disagree on the chapter point. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with it as I would skim over it but I appreciate some people might find it intrusive. Petra mentioned TW switches for e-books - maybe for those who would like TWs in books there can be a TW 'version' published separately that would only differ by including chapter TWs where applicable.

Hayley wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "We are in agreement with having them in the blurb, but I think we should agree to disagree on the chapter point. "

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, sure. But, I'm telling ya, readers are not morons and they are not children. IF they know going in that a book has problematic/disturbing content then they are already aware that it has that content and have chosen to read the book anyway. After that it simply is not that hard to skim through parts someone wants to skim through.

And, as a reader, an author treating me like a child is gonna make me hurl the book across the room and never read that author again.

And I have PTSD and there is some content I need to avoid.

Are there books I wish I had been advised in the description that the book had graphic/gratuitous scenes where I hadn't really expected them? Yes. Although I think there are ways to make that clear to a reader without wording it that way, or as a "warning".

Are there any where I was aware going in of graphic scenes that I then wanted a "trigger warning" inside the book as that content was coming up? Never.

Alexandra wrote: "My opinion is that if the blurb is well-written with the correct understanding of what a blurb is for and who it serves, then a trigger warning will not be needed in any case, for a potential reade..."

If you're going to call it a blurb then it's a marketing tool. The original meaning of "blurb" is a quote from a well known author praising the book. If you want neutrality use a neutral word like description. That's what Goodreads calls it. In fact, on Goodreads
blurbs are supposed to be removed from descriptions.

Alexandra wrote: "My opinion is that if the blurb is well-written with the correct understanding of what a blurb is for and who it serves, then a trigger warning will not be needed in any case, for a potential reade..."

Thank you Alexandra for taking the time to read my blog post. I agree with your thoughts on blurbs/descriptions and how they should be used. I've seen many where the author/publisher uses it to compare to more famous or well known authors, rather than tell readers what the book is about.

Genres are very broad, and like you say can be broken down into sub genres. Some may warrant warnings, others wouldn't but I don't think that classifying a book in a genre gives readers enough information either.

Hayley wrote: "I actually don’t agree with a lot of what has been written. Trigger warnings are not a form of censorship or some sort of suppressive force imposed on creativity. No one is saying “don’t write thes..."

I really like your suggestion about warnings at the start of chapters Hayley. No one had suggested that in the original blog post, and I think it would work well.

I put a 'content warning' in the front matter of my book. It's a memoir that goes into detailed suicidal thoughts, and not only do I want to make sure people that read it are aware of what they're getting into (and let them know to call their emergency number if they're having suicidal thoughts and think they may harm themselves), it's also covering my butt in case anyone tries to place blame on me for anyone else's actions.

A few articles have been written lately about the budding cottage industry of "sensitivity readers", primarily in the MG and YA market. These are readers hired by the publisher or agent to go through a manuscript to ferret out any offensive material.

I think it's asking too much of an author to anticipate what might offend some reader somewhere. I like my milk homogenized, but not my reading material. As a reader, if I'm offended, I stop reading and try another book. But I don't assume that what offended me is going to offend every other reader.

There are lots of authors out there that handle sensitive material well. Whenever I add something to my books like that, I consider how they would handle it. For example Laurie Halse Anderson always had intense subject matter. She always tailors it well to her intended audience. Granted, not every teen should read about anorexia, but with a revealing blurb and careful shelving, it hits the right audience.
Her Revolutionary war trilogy is the same way, and yet she manages to make it appropriate for middle schoolers.

I'm sorry, this whole discussion is weak and displays any who think that this would not GREATLY IMPACT literature down the road, in todays world, as a very simple person. Shakespeare addressed suicide, drink, murder, etc., I don't think I want my Shakespeare with a side litany of what you might be offended by. Just put the book down, walk away, and find another genre, such as Dr. Suess or Winnie the Pooh. And don't read the Quaran or the Bible, you might become triggered.

Good article. I recently put warnings on one of my poetry books toward the end of the book description. I feel like I did it more for effect awareness rather then because I felt people should know.

R.E. wrote: "I'm sorry, this whole discussion is weak and displays any who think that this would not GREATLY IMPACT literature down the road, in todays world, as a very simple person. Shakespeare addressed suic..."
Totally agree Richard.

This is an interesting discussion! I can see both sides. Trigger warnings can be important in many cases, but authors shouldn't be shamed for choosing not to include them, either.

For Shattered Embers, my current/main work in progress, I made sure to mention in the GR description that there's "severe abuse and neglect" involved. So that's kind of a built-in TW. But I don't plan to include another warning elsewhere--I think that would just annoy most readers, honestly. They know what to expect from the description, so they'd [probably find anything more than that to be redundant.

But I could be wrong, lol. I'm a relatively new author, and I'll freely admit that I have a lot to learn...

Ro wrote: "I never thought of putting any warnings on my book beforehand, but I’ve noticed that many reviewers warn their readers that they shouldn’t read it if they’re too sensitive. So that’s an indication,..."
I write adult fantasy, dragons being my preferred characters and my cover art displays such but on the very first page at the bottom I say "mature content". You can read many A-list authors today that have grisly scenes, plenty of sex, profanity and violence but guess what?? They still sell them and there is no warnings in the front.
The only reason I list my warning is because dragons are a hot topic with YA and I feel it's my responsibility as an author to let them know there is adult content. I write my heart and what my characters tell me in my mind. So far so good 4.6 stars across the trilogy. So let it rip kids...write your heart!!

It's never a big thing...until it's a BIG THING...

TRIGGER WARNING: CHILD MURDER (1st)

TRIGGER WARNING: CHILD MURDER, CHILD ABUSE (2nd)

TRIGGER WARNING: CHILD MURDER, CHILD ABUSE, ALCOHOLIC BEHAVIORS, MEAT CONSUMPTION, ANIMAL ABUSE, DRUG USE, SMOKING, RIDICULE OF HANDICAPPED, BULLYING, GUNS, KNIVES, SEX, GAY ADULT BEHAVIOR, GLOBAL WARMING DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITY, HOMICIDE, SPOUSAL ABUSE, (3RD)...

See where this can ONLY go... all this is what story telling is...CONFLICT and RESOLUTION.

I think I might just start putting 'Read at your own risk' on things that I write. I don't write about particularly unpleasant things, but I don't want to be restricting myself, giving away the plot or actually upsetting someone who has triggers.

If you aren't writing to evoke emotion or thought, why are you writing? The purpose of a writer is to do just that. Taking a white canvas and calling it a painting, doesn't make it art. If you are writing your stories as "not to offend" you've missed the understanding of what being a writer is, IMHO. Not that you set out to offend anyone, but yes, sometime writers do, to initiate a conversation about it. Writing an interesting story about child abuse and that protags ability to overcome is MUCH more interesting a way to start that discussion than to just say, "Let's talk about child abuse". Those that never experienced it, will never understand it as that, however writing a story that they may relate to, not matter how painful or upsetting, allows the reader who has never experienced it, to at least be able to relate to it.