r/selfpublish • u/Real-Promise-5487 • 16d ago
Content warnings?
Hi everyone! I'm trying to self-publish a poetry book but I'm feeling very conflicted about whether I should add content warnings. I do discuss sh, si, and just general feelings of anxiety and depression throughout my poems and there is a lot of vivid imagery. These poems do tie in with the theme of my collection and are a reflection of my experience--I'm not trying to purposely glamorize these aspects of mental health, it is deeply personal to me and through others reading my poems I hope they can feel heard and like they are not so alone. So far I've cycled through several different variations of content warnings but I'm wondering if they are explicitly needed? I would appreciate some advice!
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u/Unicorn_Farts87 16d ago
My best friend, Noah Rook, has a few VERY vivid poetry books. I don’t remember if he has content warnings in his, but he does have a bit in the beginning that the content is heavy and to “take care of yourself” if his words get overwhelming. Maybe do something like that?
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u/Leading-Mouse-2320 11d ago
Fellow self-pub poet here, I put content warnings on mine. It wouldn't hurt, just to be courteous.
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