We use a controlled vocabulary for tagging genre, format, ratings, and more, to ensure uniformity across our various publications and publication platforms. This is similar to the system that Archive of Our Own uses, except that it’s developed internally, and modified with input from our authors as appropriate to their individual stories. As more publishers consider approaches that include tagging systems, we thought that sharing our system might be helpful to people. This list includes all tags we’ve used for our books, our anthologies, our backer-exclusive stories, and elsewhere.
Our shop uses two different sorting systems to facilitate navigation and help prospective readers locate content they’d be interested in and avoid content they’d rather not read. The first of these sorting systems is Categories. The Categories are over-arching information about the following areas:
- Format (eg, eBook)
- Genre (eg, Modern with Magic)
- Rating (eg, Adult Audiences)
- Relationship (eg, MLM)
- Tropes (eg, hurt/comfort)
- Work Length (eg, novella)
- Merchandise (eg bookmarks)
- Erotica (coming soon!) (note that Erotica categories are not listed below; they are on a separate page)
Categories are designed for quick navigation of our shop, and reflect only the most prominent themes of a given work. Furthermore, our categories are nested, and we will reflect that in the bulleted lists below.
To provide more in-depth information about each work, we also use a Tag system. Tags provide more extension information about a work, including content warnings, sub-themes, and more. They may include or imply spoilers. While many tags could fall into multiple categories, for organizational purposes we’ve sorted them into the following tag types, and each tag is assigned to one, and only one, tag type. All categories are also tags, but not all tags are also categories. Tags are written all lowercase, always.
- alpha/beta/omega dynamics (eg, mating cycles) (note that alpha/beta/omega dynamic tags are not listed below; they are on a separate page)
- book format (eg, pdf ebook)
- character feature (eg, bipoc character)
- character profession (eg, professor)
- character religion (eg, muslim character)
- character romantic orientation (eg, aromantic character)
- character sexual orientation (eg, pansexual character)
- creature character (eg, werewolf)
- era (eg, regency)
- fanworks (eg, character in a “Queer Fanworks Inspired By…” story has had their gender swapped)
- genderqueer character (eg, trans character)
- genre (eg, welsh mythology)
- kink (eg, bdsm) (note that kink tags are not listed below; they are on a separate page)
- merchandise (eg sticker)
- narrator point of view (eg, pov third person)
- platonic relationship type (eg, characters are twins)
- rating (eg, explicit)
- relationship type (eg, interspecies romance)
- setting (eg, academia)
- special occasion (eg, wedding)
- story element (eg, established relationship)
- trope (eg, enemies to lovers)
- warning (eg, major character death)
- work format (eg, epistolary)
- work length (eg, novel)
Tags are generally used to give a more specific idea of what a story is about. Usually, tags are assigned if they reflect prominent themes of the work in question, with the exception of warnings. Warnings are used for any content we feel may be potentially triggering, and will be listed for a given story even if the thing being warned for is only briefly mentioned or isn’t described in detail. This doesn’t mean everything will be tagged, but we do our best to be thorough, and we are always open to receiving feedback that our tags should be modified.
We will aim to update this list monthly.
Last updated: 6/27/22
Categories
Format | Genres | Ratings | Relationship | Tropes | Work Length | Merchandise | Erotica
Format
- eBook
Genres
- Comedy
- Dark Comedy
- Erotica
- Historical
- Historical with Magic
- Historical with Sci-Fi
- Historical with Steampunk
- Modern
- Coffee Shop
- College
- Modern with Magic
- Sports
- Mystery
- Romance
- Science Fiction
- Science Fiction with Magic
- Time Travel
Ratings
- Adult Audiences
- General Audiences
- Mature Audiences
- Explicit
Relationship
- Interspecies Romance
- MLM
- Polyamory
- F/F/M
- F/M/M
- Queer Platonic Relationship
- WLW
Tropes
- Angst
- Found Family
- Friends to Lovers
- Getting Together
- Hurt/Comfort
- Idiots to Lovers
- Meet Cute
- Mutual Pining
- Plot What Plot
- Second Chances
- Whump
Work Length
- Anthology
- Novel (60,001 – 150,000 words)
- Novelette (7,501 – 20,000 words)
- Short Story (1,001 – 7,500 words)
Merchandise
- Bookmarks
- Dux
- Enamel Pins
- Key Chains
- Magnets
- Mugs
- Stickers
Erotica (this is a NSFW list, so we’ve posted it on a separate page for those who’d rather avoid such content.)
Tags
alpha/beta/omega dynamics | book format | character feature | character profession | character religion | character romantic orientation | character sexual orientation | creature character | era | erotica | fanworks | genderqueer character | genre | merchandise | narrator point of view | platonic relationship type | rating | relationship type | setting | special occasion | story element | trope | warning | work format | work length
alpha/beta/omega dynamics (this is a NSFW list, so we’ve posted it on a separate page for those who’d rather avoid such content.)
book format
- epub ebook
- mobi ebook
- pdf ebook
character feature
- anger management issues
- anxiety
- bilingual character
- bipoc character
- blind character
- character is a murderer
- character is a widow/widower/surviving spouse
- character is clumsy
- character is in the closet
- character is oblivious
- depression
- elderly character
- fat character
- magic user
- memory loss
- mute character
- piercings
- precognition
- ptsd
- self-esteem issues
- tattoos
character profession
- character does drag
- character is a barista
- character is a farmer
- character is a graduate student
- character is a mercenary
- character is a nurse
- character is a performer
- character is a private detective
- character is a professor
- character is a research assistant
- character is a security guard
- character is a soldier
- character is a superhero
- character is a veteran
- character is a witch
- character is an advice columnist
- character is an engineer
- character is an executive assistant
- character is in a religious order
- character is royalty
character religion
- daoist character
- jewish character
- muslim character
character romantic orientation
- aromantic character
- biromantic character
- demiromantic character
character sexual orientation
- asexual character
- bisexual character
- homosexual character
- lesbian character
- pansexual character
creature character
- alien
- animal transformation
- artificial intelligence
- automaton
- bear shifter
- bird shifter
- cat shifter
- character is a god
- creature character
- demon
- dog shifter
- dragon
- dragon shifter
- elemental
- fae and fairyfolk
- fire spirit
- fox shifter
- ghost
- half-orc
- immortal
- manta ray shifter
- merpeople
- nature spirit
- octopus shifter
- pixie
- reaper
- rusalka
- satyr
- vampire
- water spirit
- werewolf
era
- regency
- the 1940s
- the 1950s
- the 2000s
- world war i
- world war ii
erotica (this is a NSFW list, so we’ve posted it on a separate page for those who’d rather avoid such content.)
fanworks
- alternate universe
- canon compliant
- character has a different gender than in the source material
- non-fanfiction story inspired by source material
genderqueer character
- agender character
- gender non-conforming character
- genderfluid character
- genderqueer character
- non-binary character
- transgender character
- transmasculine character
genre
- british mythology
- celtic mythology
- character study
- chinese mythology
- dark comedy
- erotica
- fantasy
- germanic mythology
- greek mythology
- historical with magic
- historical with sci-fi
- humor
- modern
- modern with magic
- modern with superpowers
- noir
- norse mythology
- romance
- science fiction
- slavic mythology
- solarpunk
- time travel
- welsh mythology
merchandise
- add magic to taste
- bookmark
- dux
- enamel pin
- key chain
- magnet
- merchandise
- sticker
narrator point of view
- pov alternating third person limited
- pov first person
- pov multiple third person limited
- pov third person
- pov third person limited
- unreliable narrator
platonic relationship type
- characters are twins
- owner/owned character relationship
- siblings
rating
- adult audiences
- explicit
- mature audiences
- young adult audiences
relationship type
- age difference
- employer/employee relationship
- enlm
- established relationship
- experienced partner/inexperienced partner
- f/m/m
- interspecies romance
- mlen
- mlm
- mlw
- polyamory
- secret relationship
- twosome to threesome
- wlen
- wlm
- wlm (past)
- wlw
setting
- academia
- berlin
- canada
- coffee shop setting
- college setting
- connecticut
- england
- farmer’s market
- florist shop
- france
- fraternity
- germany
- great britain
- hartford
- high school setting
- iceland
- indiana
- italy
- kentucky
- netherlands
- new england
- new york
- new york city
- new zealand
- norway
- office setting
- on a train
- public transit
- russia
- seattle
- sports setting
- texas
- the beach
- the us midwest
- theater setting
- united states of america
- western europe
special occasion
- funeral
- halloween
- hand fasting
- romantic getaway
- wedding
story element
- accidental baby acquisition
- altered mental state
- assassination
- car accident
- character death (discussions of)
- character is mistakenly believed to be dead
- character murder (discussions of)
- coming out
- cultivation
- eating (descriptions of)
- existential crisis
- false accusations
- flirting
- food (descriptions of)
- football
- fostering
- fraught family dynamics
- getting drunk
- grieving
- kissing
- love declarations
- magical tattoos
- marriage proposal
- masquerade
- meddling friends
- miscommunication
- misunderstandings
- mutual pining
- the nature of free will
- organized crime
- panic attacks
- parenthood
- petnames
- pining
- playing pranks
- politics
- polyamorous relationship negotiation
- pranks
- pregnancy
- recovery
- reincarnation
- royalty
- secret identities
- taekwondo
- tarot
- teenage rebellion
- therapy
- utopia
trope
- angst
- angst (mild)
- anti-soulmates
- anything that can go wrong…
- attraction at first sight
- be gay do crimes
- be gay solve crimes
- chance meeting
- curses
- curses (accidental)
- didn’t know they were dating
- didn’t know they were queer
- drunken confessions
- emotional hurt/comfort
- emotional hurt/comfort (minor)
- enemies to lovers
- everyone knows they’re in love but them
- first kiss
- fluff
- fluff (domestic)
- found family
- friends to lovers
- getting together
- happy ending
- hurt/comfort
- hurt/comfort (mild)
- idiots to lovers
- kidfic
- love at first sight
- magical mishaps
- masquerading as human
- meet awkward
- meet cute
- missed connections
- mistaken identity
- plot what plot
- reunion
- second chances
- sharing an umbrella
- slice of life
- smut and feels
- soulmates
- star-crossed lovers
- the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one
- whump
- witches have familiars
warning
- ableism (mentions of)
- abuse (past)
- alcohol use
- alcohol use (casual)
- alcoholism
- aphobia (internalized)
- bad parenting
- biphobia (mentions of)
- body horror
- bullying
- character death (minor)
- character death (past)
- character death (temporary)
- classism
- classism (mentions of)
- consent issues
- consent issues (minor)
- deadnaming
- death of a child (mentions of)
- death of a child (off-screen)
- death of a grandparent (off-screen)
- death of a parent
- death of a parent (mentions of)
- death of a parent (off-screen)
- death of a sibling (off-screen)
- death of a spouse (mentions of)
- break-up (past)
- drowning (mentions of)
- dubious consent
- dubious consent (mild)
- emotional abuse
- emotional abuse (mentions of)
- gender dysphoria
- harm to animals
- homophobia (internalized)
- homophobic violence (mentions of)
- infidelity
- jealousy
- micro-aggressions (racist)
- misogyny (internalized)
- past abuse
- past abusive relationship
- past character death
- period-typical homophobia
- period-typical homophobia (mentions of)
- period-typical understandings of gender and sexuality
- permanent character injury
- possessive behavior
- racism
- rape/non-con
- rape/non-con (off-screen)
- robbery (mentions of)
- self-harm (mentions of)
- sexual content (mentions of)
- sexual content (non-graphic descriptions)
- sexual harassment (mild)
- speciesism
- speciesism (mentions of)
- suicide (mentions of)
- temporary character death
- torture (graphic descriptions)
- transphobia (mentions of)
- verbal abuse
- violence (graphic descriptions)
- violence (non-graphic descriptions)
- vomiting (mild)
work format
- epistolary
- past tense
- present tense
- prose
work length
- novel
- novelette
- short story