Written works
This section focuses mainly on the subject matter of the works published on Noireplume.
You are welcome to tackle difficult subjects here, as long as they serve the story. In other words, they shouldn’t be just an excuse to shock, promote harmful behaviour or hurt others.
- A few principles
- Age ratings
- Violence and brutality
- Sexual content
- Discrimination, hate speech and social issues
- Political and religious manifestos
- Sensitive topics
- Fanfiction
- Criticism and comments
A few principles
- Context matters. A shocking motif or a difficult subject appearing in a work does not, on its own, break the rules.
- What counts is the purpose. Content is allowed if it serves a purpose in the text, e.g. moving the plot forward, building the world, developing a character or offering commentary.
- Depicting isn’t endorsing. Showing evil in a work is fine. Glorifying it, encouraging it or explaining how to do it is not. Note: the views of a narrator or character don’t have to match the author’s. A narrator speaking approvingly of something evil doesn’t automatically mean the author supports it. When judging whether something glorifies or encourages wrongdoing, we always consider the author and/or the work as a whole. A work may deliberately provoke, shock or unsettle the reader in order to make them think or to shed light on a problem.
- Some content is banned, no exceptions. This includes, among other things, the sexualisation of minors, regardless of context, form or any claim that it’s fiction.
Age ratings
Noireplume doesn’t allow content intended only for adults: every work must be suitable for readers aged 16 and over. Age ratings are there for information, to help you make an informed choice about what to read.
- Authors decide on the recommended age themselves and can mention it in the book description (e.g. All ages, 12+, 16+). Age ratings don’t go in book titles.
- If your work contains erotic or graphic scenes, or deals with sensitive topics, it’s a good idea to add content warnings in the description or at the start of the book. This isn’t required, though.
- The rating must reflect what’s actually in the book, and it doesn’t exempt you from any of the other rules.
Note: unlike games or films (with systems such as PEGI), books don’t have a formal age rating system. We based our approach on the rules used for TV programmes and on what you can find in bookshops. Rather than imposing an age classification system from above, we ask you to rate your own works honestly. After all, you know them best.
Violence and brutality
Violence can appear in your work if the plot calls for it. Content whose only purpose is to revel in brutality or encourage it is not allowed.
Allowed:
- Violent scenes that are part of a wider story.
- Violence needed to portray a conflict, the realities of the story’s world or the development of the plot.
- Graphic and brutal scenes, as long as the plot justifies them.
- Showing the physical, psychological and social effects of violence.
Not allowed:
- Content whose only purpose is to revel in brutality.
- Gore created purely for shock value, with no justification in the plot.
- Depicting violence in a way that glorifies or encourages it.
- Instructions or detailed guidance that make it easier to cause harm in real life.
Sexual content
Noireplume is not a place for erotica. Erotic scenes may only appear as part of the plot, e.g. in contemporary fiction or fantasy novels. Works where sex is the main focus can’t be published here.
Allowed:
- Erotic scenes set within a wider plot.
- Non-pornographic depictions of sexuality, relationships and intimacy.
- LGBTQ+ relationships and sexuality.
- Unconventional relationships and practices between consenting adults who fully understand what they are agreeing to (excluding prohibited practices).
Note: explicitness alone doesn’t make something a violation. An erotic scene can be explicit if it’s part of the plot and the work as a whole could comfortably sit on a bookshop shelf. Whether a text counts as erotica depends on the work as a whole, not on a single scene.
Not allowed:
- Erotica and pornographic works, i.e. where sex is the main focus or purpose.
- Any sexual depiction of minors, regardless of form, style, the character’s stated age or the fictional nature of the work.
- Content depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.
- Depicting sexual violence or sexual exploitation in a way that glorifies, promotes or encourages it.
- Sexual exploitation of people who cannot give informed consent.
- Sexual exploitation of animals, or depictions of sexual acts with animals.
- Sexual content involving corpses.
- Incestuous content, unless it is part of the story or its world.
- Sexual content involving real people without their consent.
Child sexual abuse as a subject: a work may address this subject. It may show that harm took place and that it has consequences. Describing the sexual acts involving a child in detail is not allowed, whatever the author’s intentions.
Discrimination, hate speech and social issues
Allowed:
- Discrimination, prejudice and violence as part of the plot.
- Showing characters’ experiences of discrimination.
- Content that serves as social commentary.
- Characters with negative, controversial or repugnant views, if they are part of the world or the plot.
Not allowed:
- Content created to spread hatred towards social groups.
- Calls for discrimination or persecution.
- Calls for violence based on protected characteristics, e.g. origin, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
- Content intended to demean, intimidate or harass particular social groups.
- Propaganda promoting violence or persecution.
Political and religious manifestos
Noireplume is here for sharing your work with the world, not for campaigning. Political and religious themes are allowed in your works, but publishing manifestos is not.
Allowed:
- Works that explore political, ideological or religious themes.
- Characters who hold particular views or beliefs as part of the plot.
- Satire, including political satire, as long as it doesn’t include the names of real people.
Not allowed:
- Political or religious manifestos published as standalone texts, with no literary quality and/or plot.
- Election campaigning.
- Content that tries to convert or recruit people to religious, political or ideological groups.
- Extremist or political manifestos and materials, including in the form of quotes taken out of context.
Sensitive topics
You can write about mental health, self-harm, suicide, domestic violence or addiction, as long as you do so respectfully and within a narrative. Glorifying or encouraging such behaviour is not allowed.
Allowed:
- Exploring these topics as part of the plot.
- Stories that treat the subject with respect and portray it realistically.
- Graphic scenes, as long as they matter to the plot.
- Showing the consequences of violence, addiction or self-harm, including the recovery process.
Not allowed:
- Glorifying self-harm, suicide, mental illness, violence or addiction.
- Encouraging such behaviour.
- Instructions or technical details that make it easier to self-harm, attempt suicide or hurt someone else.
- Stereotyped or dehumanising portrayals of people with mental health problems or addictions.
Fanfiction
Fanfiction is welcome here too, with a few conditions.
Allowed:
- Works based on books, films, TV series, games, comics and other cultural works.
- Historical works, i.e. about real people or events from more than 50 years ago, e.g. a romance set in the 19th century. These can be monetised if they are placed in the “Historical Fiction” category.
- Original characters and alternative storylines set in someone else’s world.
Not allowed:
- Monetising fanfiction (historical works excepted): publishing fanfiction as paid books, or collecting donations on a profile that contains only fanfiction (profiles with other works can collect donations).
- “Real person fiction”, i.e. stories about real people who are alive today. NOTE: fanfiction about a character played by a particular actor is allowed, even if readers picture the character with that actor’s face. However, you can’t write fanfiction about an actor’s private life.
Criticism and comments
Allowed:
- Criticism backed up by facts and specific examples from the text.
- Subjective opinions and ratings.
- Ironic criticism, as long as it is aimed at the work.
Not allowed:
- Hate speech.
- Discrimination.
- Ad hominem attacks, i.e. going after the author as a person instead of the text.
- Offensive comments with no real substance.
- Threats.
If you experience or witness any of the situations described above, please contact the Noireplume admin team.
