I've been thinking recently that it would be really nice if everyone used a standard system of content ratings and warnings for their books.
When I first joined the site, you used to be able to rate your book as G, PG, PG-13, or mature. Those were the days before everything turned into "it's either mature or it's not". Now, I can somewhat understand this given that the site is only intended for those thirteen or over, but I know that when I was thirteen, I didn't necessarily want to be exposed to certain kinds of PG-13 content just as a personal preference. And even today I would appreciate having the warning for certain types of content before I decide whether to read it, especially when it comes to books marked mature. There are some kinds of mature that I'm totally ok with and others that I'm really not comfortable with.
I also think that some of my books might actually benefit from people being able to clearly see what content is NOT included. If people want to read books that have zero to one mild instance of profanity per book, for example, I'm the author for them!
So I'm playing around with using the G, PG, and PG-13 ratings, trying to use the actual MPAA guidelines and briefly listing the reasons for the rating, just like what's on the packaging of movies. I think I've got a pretty solid grasp on it except for trying to figure out what level of violence merits an escalation from PG to PG-13. I'm pretty sure if someone dies it has to be PG-13, but I'm not sure how much lower the bar is set than that. For now, I'm being conservative and rating anything with "moderate" violence as PG-13 even if no one dies.
If you're curious, here's what I have the ratings set for on my books (at least for now). If you've read any of them, feel free to let me know if you disagree with the rating and why or if there's anything else you think I should warn for. I would like to make these accurate to people's expectations. Also, feel free to copy me by adding these kinds of ratings to your own descriptions.
Writing Tips and Tricks - Rated G
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - Rated PG for discussion of serious topics (racism, prejudice, war, etc.)
Luminescence - Rated PG for mild violence
dste's Wattpad Reviews - Rated PG for one instance of profanity and brief mentions of fictional violence
Getting Out of Fuchsia - Rated PG-13 for moderate violence
The Girl with the Chikorita - Rated PG-13 for moderate violence and one instance of profanity
One Shots - Rated PG-13 for moderate violence and depictions of death
A Light in the Dark - Rated PG-13 for moderate violence and depictions of death
Pokémon Rewritten - Rated PG-13 for moderate violence and themes unsuitable for children under 13
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