I just heard that a book I’m in, SKATER BOYS, edited by Neil Plakcy and published by Cleis Press, was nominated for the 2011 Gabie Awards. Here’s the link where you can vote. And there are other categories for other mediums and genres you can vote for too.

My short story in SKATER BOYS was titled, “In This Our Day.” And although it is erotic to a degree, I’d have to admit this is one of my more romantic stories. And it is also about a May – December romance between a nice guy in his forties and a younger guy in his twenties.

I’ve read the entire book myself and I liked all the stories, and I’m thrilled to be part of a book that’s been nominated for a Gaybie. I also love being in books edited by Neil Plakcy. I’ve been in Lambda books that were either nominated or won a Lambda Award. But this is a first for a Gaybie. The print book can be purchased here, on Amazon, as well as the Kindle version.

However, as a side note, even though I’m thrilled about being in this book and being part of a book that was nominated for a Gaybie, I’d like to stress that when an author like me submits a short story to a publisher for a book like this I’m only paid a flat fee. For this book, as I recall, the flat fee was $60.00. I make no money at all on the back end, and this includes all digital sales.

I have no complaints about this at all. I knew what I was doing when I submitted the book and signed the contract. I wanted to work with Neil Plakcy and I love Cleis Press books. The flat fee payment is the way things are done, and I don’t see this changing anytime soon. But I’d also like readers (and book pirates who seem to think we’re making huge bucks here) to know that while I’m promoting this book right now in this post, it’s truly because I love it and I’m thrilled about the Gaybie, and it’s not because I’m making any money at all with regard to sales, digital or print. In other words, I don’t have to promote it at all. There’s nothing in it for me other than the fact that I love the book and I think readers will love it just as much.

And, there’s another Cleis Press book I’m in that’s also been nominated for a Gaybie. It’s titled, COLLEGE BOYS, and I’ll post more about that one tomorrow. I just thought it would be better to post about each book individually, with respect to the editors.