How to Add a Content Warning to Your Book

Content warnings have become increasingly common in self-published books, particularly in romance, thriller, horror, and young adult fiction.

A content warning is a short, reader-facing note that flags potentially sensitive or distressing material before the story begins, things like depictions of violence, self-harm, abuse, or other themes some readers prefer to know about in advance.

Adding one is a small formatting decision that can meaningfully affect the reader's experience, and increasingly, their expectations of the book they're about to read.

Why Authors Add Content Warnings

Readers are increasingly vocal about wanting content warnings, particularly in genre fiction communities on social platforms like TikTok and Goodreads, where discussions of a book's content often happen before or immediately after release.

For authors, a clear content warning can:

• Reduce negative reviews from readers surprised by unexpected content
• Build trust with readers who specifically seek out or avoid certain themes
• Show professionalism and care in how a book is presented
• Give readers with personal sensitivities the choice to proceed or not

Not every book needs one. A gentle cozy mystery has different expectations than a dark romance. But for books that include difficult themes, a content warning is increasingly considered good practice rather than an unusual addition.

Where a Content Warning Belongs

A content warning is a front matter element, and it should appear early, typically after the title page and copyright page but before the table of contents and the story itself.

Placing it too late, for example after the first chapter, defeats the purpose. A reader needs to see it before they start reading, not after they've already encountered the content it's meant to flag.

Koberger treats content warnings as their own dedicated front matter section type, so they're positioned automatically in the correct place among your other front matter, ahead of the table of contents, without needing to manually reorder pages.

What to Include

A good content warning is specific enough to be useful, without becoming a spoiler-filled list of every plot event.

A simple, effective format looks like this:

This book contains depictions of violence, substance abuse, and themes of grief. Reader discretion is advised.

Keep it to a short paragraph or a brief bulleted list of themes. Avoid describing exactly how or when each theme appears in the story, since that can spoil plot points for readers who choose to continue anyway.

Common Themes Authors Flag

• Violence or graphic injury
• Sexual content or assault
• Self-harm or suicide
• Substance abuse or addiction
• Domestic abuse or emotional abuse
• Death of a child, parent, or pet
• Eating disorders
• Discrimination or hate speech depicted in the narrative

This isn't an exhaustive list, and what's worth flagging depends heavily on your genre and audience. Romance and young adult readers, in particular, tend to expect detailed content warnings as standard practice.

Formatting Considerations

A content warning page should be simple and readable. It doesn't need decorative styling or ornamentation; clarity matters more than design here.

Keep it on its own page rather than tucking it into the copyright page as a footnote, since readers scanning quickly through the front matter should be able to find and read it without effort. Use the same font and formatting as the rest of your front matter, so it feels like a natural part of the book rather than an inserted afterthought.

Should It Appear in the Table of Contents?

This comes down to personal preference. Some authors include "Content Warning" as a visible entry in the table of contents so readers can jump straight to it. Others prefer it to appear silently in the front matter without a table of contents entry, so it doesn't draw attention away from the story itself.

Either approach is reasonable. What matters most is that the warning appears early enough in the book that a reader encounters it before the story begins.

Final Thoughts

A content warning takes only a few minutes to write and format, but it can meaningfully shape how readers approach your book, and how they talk about it afterward.

As reader expectations around this continue to shift, particularly in genre fiction, it's a small addition that's increasingly worth including as a standard part of your front matter.

For related guidance, see our guide to front matter.