Rachel Baker

@L.a Fowler ME TOO. I've been listening to a bunch of haunted house audiobooks lately to see how other authors approach the subject and it's been fun research.

L.a Fowler

Aug '25 •

General discussion

Trigger Warnings

Okay, so this has been brought up in my circles a lot lately and I'm of two minds. However, given that I'm a YA Author with laughs and dark themes, I feel like perhaps some sort of warning would be beneficial so that readers aren't caught off guard. My book is published but I was thinking of adding to my blurb description and potentially into the printed front matter as well, something like the following. ⚠️Themes include on-page violence, death, trauma, and implied cannibalism. What do you think? I don't want anyone getting something that could make them uncomfortable, but what's the best way to approach it? Hansel and Gretel doesn't have a warning but 🤷🏼

New comment Aug '25

Rachel Baker

3 likes • Aug '25

Okay, so. Hi, it's me. I'm the person that needs a trigger warning for actual PTSD. Which is funny, because my genre is horror, so I read and write a lot of messed up stuff, but there's some stuff that I need a heads up about. I went into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with no warning about the sexual violence and it really messed me up. Because of that, I decided to put trigger warnings on my books, but try to do them in a non-spoiler-y way. Like, I put a general content warning at the beginning and then a more in depth one at the end that might be a little more spoiler-y, but that way people have to actually look for that one if they need it. Does that make sense?

Rachel Baker

2 likes • Aug '25

@L.a Fowler Ooh, that's a good question. Like, there's something that's a recurring theme throughout your book and you don't know how to give a content warning for your whole book without it being spoilery? I might just say there are "themes of" and then say something vague? Like, if there's no depicted event, you could say that there are themes of SA but no explicit scenes or whatever it is.

Bradley Gosselin

Aug '25 •

General discussion

Underwriter or Overwriter?

Just a fun little conversation starter… are you an underwriter or an over writer in your projects? As in: From your first draft to your final draft, do you find yourself adding more words than you cut. Or do you have to cut more words than you add? I’m a big underwriter. My first drafts are usually about 50-60k… by the time they are done they are usually around 70-80k (and this includes still cutting out sentences/paragraphs) though I will admit my next few books will be a bit longer as I start to wrap everything up in my series. Haha. So… which are you?

New comment Aug '25

Rachel Baker

1 like • Aug '25

Underwriter. My writing group is forever telling me to "add more description"!

Ann Nasir

Aug '25 •

General discussion

MUST READ - AND COMMENT READ AND UNDERSTOOD

It’s come to my attention that some members are being approached privately for services. This is not allowed under our rules. If you offer a service, you’re welcome to make a post about it and let people come to you. If someone posts asking for a specific service you provide, you may comment and discuss it openly then decide together how to proceed. This community was never meant to be a marketplace. It’s meant for genuine support, advice, laughter, and learning. Anyone who ignores this rule will be removed without warning. I want this space to grow into one big, happy book family where we help each other succeed. There’s enough opportunity for everyone let’s share the pot, not fight over it.

New comment Sep '25

Rachel Baker

3 likes • Aug '25

Read and understood.

L.a Fowler

Aug '25 •

BOOK COVERS & IMAGES

Cover show and tell!

Let's share some of our cover art. What do you like about it, what would you change, and if you're happy with cost/process of creating it

New comment Aug '25

Rachel Baker

1 like • Aug '25