Authortube: Part 6

[JackieOfTrades]

I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't need trigger warnings, but I'm very sensitive to others needing the warnings. I've seen the damage lack of trigger warnings can do. I've been screaming about this in my Goodreads reviews for years. I just don't find rape on page sexy, and that one makes me fume. There's been a few of those. I've seen trigger warnings going too far too, I mean, if the heroine is poor and a billionaire falls in love with her, do you really need a trigger warning for "finances" in the blurb? And if you pick up a mafia romance, you should KNOW bad shit will happen on page. Especially when the blurb talks about heroines being "sold" to cover brother's/father's/uncle's etc debt. The sub-genre in and of itself is a trigger warning.

But I agree that "wokeness" sometimes goes too far. Sadly it is often needed cause people have cardboards for brains. But often (too often sometimes) wokeness goes too far in the other direction. There should be a balance. Part of being woke is being able to look around you and read the room. Can we misread the room? Oh for sure! Been there done that. It's always a learning experience. But taking a pause to think things over before speaking goes a very long way for most people.

Trigger warnings for shit you know could send someone spiraling, absolutely. You won't lose readers over a warning, you can however lose a lot of readers if people get pissed off by the lack of a warning. Sadly, people with cardboard brains only learn this the hard way.

[aranelly]

Personally, my stance is that trigger warnings should exist for things that are commonly triggering/common causes of PTSD etc. I can't see any good reason to NOT have trigger warnings for things like violence, sexual violence, gun violence, racial abuse, homophobia, child abuse, animal abuse, infertility, and death of a child etc. Like Christmas_Hedgehog points out, it's a matter of course for film and television, so there's no reason not to include those categories in publishing so people can make up their own minds on what they want to consume.

. . .

But I don't feel the same sense of responsibility to give a heads up before I discuss my experiences with pregnancy, for instance - in that case I feel like the responsibility is on the person struggling with that topic to figure out for themselves how to navigate a world with pregnant people in it.

As someone who has had public breakdowns at the sight of newborns and heavily pregnant people, I agree. We have to learn how to navigate unavoidable exposure to every-day things. We need to be able to remove ourselves from a situation that is going to do damage to us. Not every conversation or interaction is meant for me. In regards to media, blurbs and a well-written synopsis are usually enough to let me know what to expect. I have to decide if I can handle it or not (usually not, in which case, I walk away.)

It's when I'm reading a *cozy mystery* and there is a whole chapter about a couple who previously had not appeared in the book and their emergency situation that is practically identical to my experience that I get upset. I had a friend skim the rest of the book: the couple never were mentioned again, and it had nothing to do with the plot. It was just something that the MC dealt with at work. A simple heads-up at the beginning could've saved me both money and grief. And I will avoid that author when I see their books again.

I finally watched Michelle's video, which was about what I expected. But, wow, those comments. "I don't need trigger warnings, why should anyone else?" Sheesh, so much for empathy.

[Christmas_Hedgehog]

something i always wonder about with trigger warnings is how to make sure you're hitting the right ones - since true psychological triggers are so deeply personal . what genuinely triggers me into a spin is never going to be part of a boiler plate trigger warning. so do we lean into the AO3 method? broad strokes categories?

Personally, my stance is that trigger warnings should exist for things that are commonly triggering/common causes of PTSD etc. I can't see any good reason to NOT have trigger warnings for things like violence, sexual violence, gun violence, racial abuse, homophobia, child abuse, animal abuse, infertility, and death of a child etc. Like Christmas_Hedgehog points out, it's a matter of course for film and television, so there's no reason not to include those categories in publishing so people can make up their own minds on what they want to consume.

I only disagree with trigger warnings when people get (what I personally deem to be) carried away with them. I've been in facebook groups where you can't post ANYTHING without someone asking you to add a content warning, i.e "Hey, can you add a content warning that this post contains discussion of finances? Discussion of money really triggers me because I come from a financially insecure household", "Can you add a content warning that this post contains discussion of divorce" etc. I'm the last person in the world to ever throw words like "woke" around as an insult, but groups like that where you're feeling on edge and guilty about posting ANYTHING really do feel like they go too far. I'm compassionate about the fact that certain issues can affect people psychologically and that things like finances and divorce can be incredibly fraught, for instance, but in my view, if the thing that affects you is just a regular part of society that wouldn't be unusual if a friend or an Uber driver or coworker happened to mention it (i.e, financial transactions, pregnant people existing, people getting divorced), there should be a baseline understanding that any content may contain depictions of that thing, and if individuals know they have super specific triggers outside of the common broad triggers, that's something they need to work on for themselves in therapy to figure out how to navigate. I.e if I, as an individual, wanted to talk publicly about my experiences with sexual assault, I feel a degree of responsibility to make it clear to others that the discussion was going to contain talk of that. In that case I feel like the responsibility sits with me. But I don't feel the same sense of responsibility to give a heads up before I discuss my experiences with pregnancy, for instance - in that case I feel like the responsibility is on the person struggling with that topic to figure out for themselves how to navigate a world with pregnant people in it.

It's a fine line, for sure, and I'm hesitant to say where it should be because it's going to be different for everyone and you won't be able to catch all of them. Like you said, there are some things that are commonly triggering/common causes of PTSD, and that's where I personally think the line should be.

A trigger warning that there's consensual kissing? No. A warning for sexual assault? Yes.

A warning that a pregnant person appears at one point in the story? No. Depiction of pregnancy loss? Yes.

Those are just two examples because I don't want to go overboard, but that's the kind of place I'd draw the line. Even then, it might not protect everyone, but it's a start and would at least warn against the most extreme triggers.

Personally, my stance is that trigger warnings should exist for things that are commonly triggering/common causes of PTSD etc. I can't see any good reason to NOT have trigger warnings for things like violence, sexual violence, gun violence, racial abuse, homophobia, child abuse, animal abuse, infertility, and death of a child etc. Like Christmas_Hedgehog points out, it's a matter of course for film and television, so there's no reason not to include those categories in publishing so people can make up their own minds on what they want to consume.

. . .

But I don't feel the same sense of responsibility to give a heads up before I discuss my experiences with pregnancy, for instance - in that case I feel like the responsibility is on the person struggling with that topic to figure out for themselves how to navigate a world with pregnant people in it.

As someone who has had public breakdowns at the sight of newborns and heavily pregnant people, I agree. We have to learn how to navigate unavoidable exposure to every-day things. We need to be able to remove ourselves from a situation that is going to do damage to us. Not every conversation or interaction is meant for me. In regards to media, blurbs and a well-written synopsis are usually enough to let me know what to expect. I have to decide if I can handle it or not (usually not, in which case, I walk away.)

It's when I'm reading a *cozy mystery* and there is a whole chapter about a couple who previously had not appeared in the book and their emergency situation that is practically identical to my experience that I get upset. I had a friend skim the rest of the book: the couple never were mentioned again, and it had nothing to do with the plot. It was just something that the MC dealt with at work. A simple heads-up at the beginning could've saved me both money and grief. And I will avoid that author when I see their books again.

I finally watched Michelle's video, which was about what I expected. But, wow, those comments. "I don't need trigger warnings, why should anyone else?" Sheesh, so much for empathy.

This is exactly what I mean about everyone having different limits. I would maybe be upset or uncomfortable with seeing a pregnant person, but it wouldn't be triggering in the same way content involving pregnancy loss would be, so I wouldn't need a warning for a pregnant person appearing in a story, but perhaps you, or others, might.

There's no simple answer but in any case, I'm so sorry for what you've been through and I hope things are getting/will get easier for you. It's really tough to navigate the world in a way that feels safe and I think you've nailed the issue with most of the anti-TW arguments - there's no empathy.

[sufficientcontact]

Anyone have any new fav authors to follow on youtube? My list of followed writers has gotten really thin over the years. Obviously this thread is mostly about people who drive us nuts, but is there anyone you're enjoying lately?

[wordsgalore]

Anyone have any new fav authors to follow on youtube? My list of followed writers has gotten really thin over the years. Obviously this thread is mostly about people who drive us nuts, but is there anyone you're enjoying lately?

I’ve been watching Jenn’s Bookshelf. She does the cross over between booktube and authortube, but I’ve been watching her writing vlogs. They’re enjoyable, the usual I Did This but she also talks through where she’s at and what she’s actually working/stuck on. She’s self publishing her book at some point - cozy fantasy.

Jean’s Thoughts also released a writing vlog recently which was really enjoyable. She’s mainly in the booktube space, but I hope she keeps up the writing vlogs.

[Christmas_Hedgehog]

Anyone have any new fav authors to follow on youtube? My list of followed writers has gotten really thin over the years. Obviously this thread is mostly about people who drive us nuts, but is there anyone you're enjoying lately?

Not exactly new, but I've really been enjoying katesbookdate lately. She's someone who is actually writing and producing books, not just living the author lifestyle without doing any of the work. Her breakdowns on marketing and self-publishing are my favourites of hers.

A newer small channel is Matt Fausto. His Nanowrimo series was great. The videos are fairly short and he goes in-depth about his story - characters, plot twists, the works.

[lurker1999]

I love katesbookdate but MY GOD she isn't a full time author like she says. She edits and is an YouTuber which is not a insignificant portion of her income.

Literally on her intro to vídeos she says she's an author and a editor.

[roguecanaries]

katesbookdate also earns money from renting out her old apartment as well iirc. I don't think she earns a huge amount from it, but still. i guess "full time author" makes for a snappier thumbnail caption.

to be fair i believe that most of her income comes from her books so i'm not really *that* bothered about her saying she's a full time author, but...

[wrong-writer]

I love katesbookdate but MY GOD she isn't a full time author like she says. She edits and is an YouTuber which is not a insignificant portion of her income.

Literally on her intro to vídeos she says she's an author and a editor.

This makes no sense. If a person is a full time accountant, but also earns money from other endeavors that doesn't mean they shouldn't be considered a full time accountant.

[BasicBooktuber1]

Anyone have any new fav authors to follow on youtube? My list of followed writers has gotten really thin over the years. Obviously this thread is mostly about people who drive us nuts, but is there anyone you're enjoying lately?

My favourite lesser know authortubers are Rachel Writes, Kris MF, Kelley Tai, Lynn D. Jung and Michelle Shusterman. I do also tune in to more popular channels like Shaelin Writes, Kate Kavanaugh, Kate's Book Date and Alexa Donne (whenever she posts).

[lurker1999]

I love katesbookdate but MY GOD she isn't a full time author like she says. She edits and is an YouTuber which is not a insignificant portion of her income.

Literally on her intro to vídeos she says she's an author and a editor.

This makes no sense. If a person is a full time accountant, but also earns money from other endeavors that doesn't mean they shouldn't be considered a full time accountant.

I guess to me it feels different because she's not writing consistenly writing enough hours to be considered full time because the other stuff she does not only is a good portion of her income but represent a good portion of the time she spends working as well. If an accountant is an accountant for four hours a day and is a Starbucks barista for the other four hours, then I don't feel like this person is a fulltime accountant nor a fulltime barista. To me she's not a fulltime in anything that she does, but you make an excellent point.

[HiddenWolf]

RE: trigger warnings
Even though I don't need them I think all books should have them, at least the most common ones, maybe because I'm so used for the warnings on the back of videogames? It would be totally fine for publishers to do kind of the same thing on the inside of a back cover imo.

But also for those that need trigger warnings, storygraph has them for every book, you don't need an account to see them either I think, just search the book. And then there's a list of user-submitted trigger warning split into categories for "graphic" "moderate" and "minor" depending on how much that specific topic comes up.

[pensandthreads]

I love katesbookdate but MY GOD she isn't a full time author like she says. She edits and is an YouTuber which is not a insignificant portion of her income.

Literally on her intro to vídeos she says she's an author and a editor.

This makes no sense. If a person is a full time accountant, but also earns money from other endeavors that doesn't mean they shouldn't be considered a full time accountant.

A full time accountant has a full time job that likely pays enough to support themselves. If they've taken on a hobby that earns some extra cash or a part time job for whatever reason that doesn't really change the fact that being an accountant is generally a full sustainable income.

Being a full time author implies that your writing has done so well you're one of the few who makes enough to fully support themselves on that. Sure many big authors do other work (especially related to other entertainment venues and passion projects of theirs) but generally most people understand they'd be fine just writing. A lot of authortubers who claim to be full time writers are a bit deceitful because they're actually supported by their social media accounts, courses, and many times their spouses who have very high incomes. It is deceitful since they use that label to give themselves an air of success in their writing which boosts the perception of their audiences.

[eustaciavye]

Did anyone else see Courtney’s announcement? She co-wrote a dark romance with Lili St. Germain (whom I am not familiar with). Kind of surprised that she’s pivoted to co-writing with someone else so soon after the KF split. I thought for sure she’d go solo.

[JackieOfTrades]

Did anyone else see Courtney’s announcement? She co-wrote a dark romance with Lili St. Germain (whom I am not familiar with). Kind of surprised that she’s pivoted to co-writing with someone else so soon after the KF split. I thought for sure she’d go solo.

LOL I thought the same thing. I was sure she'd dust off some old stories and re-release to get going. But writing with someone new for a first release post-KF is a very quick turnaround, unless this has been in the works for a while and is part of the reason for the KF split...

Did you read the blurb? I had to check out Lili St.Germain to see who this is. She had more info about the book. An asshole for a hero, a virgin for a heroine, add a billionaire getaway island, a few possessive "mine" thrown around, and apparently you have "dark romance". Yeah. No thank you.

[roguecanaries]

How strange. She's been talking for so long about wanting to work on solo stuff... then again, it's probably a smart business move. As I understand it, the Lyra Parish pen name is pretty dead, so I guess it makes sense to cowrite with someone established and then use their name and audience to help to revive it. I'm kind of disappointed as I really wanted to see her strike out on her own and see how she'd handle going solo, but there's still time, I suppose.

That blurb is giving me slightly iffy vibes, though. I take no issue with dark romance, even if it isn't really my thing, but "untouched" heroine?? Yeesh. That's kinda giving me the ick, ngl. I have nothing against sexually inexperienced MCs as a concept, but I am not a fan of how that's worded... then again, I am definitely not her target audience. It took me one free book and a quick flick through KF's marketing on socials to make me go "yeahh this isn't for me."

[JackieOfTrades]

How strange. She's been talking for so long about wanting to work on solo stuff... then again, it's probably a smart business move. As I understand it, the Lyra Parish pen name is pretty dead, so I guess it makes sense to cowrite with someone established and then use their name and audience to help to revive it. I'm kind of disappointed as I really wanted to see her strike out on her own and see how she'd handle going solo, but there's still time, I suppose.

That blurb is giving me slightly iffy vibes, though. I take no issue with dark romance, even if it isn't really my thing, but "untouched" heroine?? Yeesh. That's kinda giving me the ick, ngl. I have nothing against sexually inexperienced MCs as a concept, but I am not a fan of how that's worded... then again, I am definitely not her target audience. It took me one free book and a quick flick through KF's marketing on socials to make me go "yeahh this isn't for me."

LOL It was the "untouched" that had me balking too. I just couldn't remember the word they'd used, and I couldn't be bothered to go onto Insta to look it up. I've read a few KF boooks as they've been made free - but I always end up skimming. They're just kinda...eh... I guess I just never really cared for any of their characters. That, and the amount of smut to plot. I like a fair amount of smut in my books just like any romance reader, but waxing on and on and on for pages and pages just gets boring. So I often end up skimming most of the smut. I get that it drives up the number of pages, but so does plot! I just like plot with my smut... LOL

I'll give Courtney a shot when she goes properly solo, but until then, it's a "nope" from me.

[eustaciavye]

Did anyone else see Courtney’s announcement? She co-wrote a dark romance with Lili St. Germain (whom I am not familiar with). Kind of surprised that she’s pivoted to co-writing with someone else so soon after the KF split. I thought for sure she’d go solo.

LOL I thought the same thing. I was sure she'd dust off some old stories and re-release to get going. But writing with someone new for a first release post-KF is a very quick turnaround, unless this has been in the works for a while and is part of the reason for the KF split...

Did you read the blurb? I had to check out Lili St.Germain to see who this is. She had more info about the book. An asshole for a hero, a virgin for a heroine, add a billionaire getaway island, a few possessive "mine" thrown around, and apparently you have "dark romance". Yeah. No thank you.

I missed the blurb, but that’s a hard pass for me! Also adds credence to my personal theory that she and Brooke were headed two different directions with what they want to write. I know Brooke has done exactly what you described above, polished up some old books and is now re-promoting them while she goes solo.

I hope Courtney does eventually go it alone, only because I’m interested to see what kind of pen name/brand/reputation she builds for herself. She’s claimed in the past that she has fans that have followed her ever since the Lyra Parish days, so surely she has at least a small following already to build off of.

[JackieOfTrades]

I missed the blurb, but that’s a hard pass for me! Also adds credence to my personal theory that she and Brooke were headed two different directions with what they want to write. I know Brooke has done exactly what you described above, polished up some old books and is now re-promoting them while she goes solo.

I hope Courtney does eventually go it alone, only because I’m interested to see what kind of pen name/brand/reputation she builds for herself. She’s claimed in the past that she has fans that have followed her ever since the Lyra Parish days, so surely she has at least a small following already to build off of.

I doubt either of them will lose any KF fans. At least to begin with. If they manage to deliver more of the same, those who bought KF will buy both Brooke's and Courtney's solo books. But if they take a hard turn, like it seems Courtney is doing, I'm not so sure all their readers will tag along. From what I've understood, both Brooke and Courtney wrote pretty similarly pre-KF as they did for KF, which is why they both have readers from the early days. Consistency in writing. Courtney now going "dark" is a big chance to take. I'm sure some readers will follow her, but I doubt they all will. I think Brooke stands a stronger chance at keeping the KF readers around for her solo books.

[JackieOfTrades]

From Brooke's blog: This year definitely didn’t start out the way I anticipated. But with that being said, I’m going to take this fresh start opportunity and make the most of it. My plan is to release before the end of the year (maybe twice), and I’d love to take you on my journey to re-starting my solo career.

I guess it's safe to say she wasn't the one who broke up Kennedy Fox...