How did you find Gay Authors and What made you stay?

[Myr]

I was reflecting on Gay Authors and my journey when I noticed we're coming up on 23 years since I launched the forums.  A lot has happened in that time.  A few of the things that showed up in that timeframe... Social Media, YouTube, Kindle, streaming services...  a lot.  Gay Authors has continued to grow slowly throughout that time.  As I look out at the rapidly changing internet landscape and think about how I can make Gay Authors survive another 23 years, I was wondering...

How did you find Gay Authors?

and

What made you stay?

[Kitt]

I followed an author here from a site where they were having plagiarism issues. Said author has long since gone poof, but here I am still reading my way thru the archives and hanging in a chat group in fan clubs.

 

In 13 years I have barely scratched the surface of the available literature, so I guess you guys are stuck with me.

[chris191070]

Started here as a reader, looking for good gay fiction. Became a member, to join in with the various forums and groups. Started writing not long after, but it took me quite a while before I posted anything.

Since joining I've reviewed 729 stories in just over 9 years.

[Davide]

I learned that a story I was reading on Nifty was also being posted on a site with a comment section, this one. I like reading what people say about stories, so I started coming here to read the comments. That made me check out what other stories it has and I learned that it's significantly easier to find stories I'm interested in on GA than on Nifty. So I started reading stories, mostly old ones at the time, and created an account a few months later.

[kbois]

Hmmm. I guess I stumbled across this site looking for something different to read. 

Stayed because in the process I discovered a bunch of people who speak the same dialect of crazy as me. That's impressive. 

[Mikiesboy]

I was looking for gay fiction. I joined because I wanted to tell someone what i thought of their story. We talked a bit and after a while they encouraged me to post some poetry here. I had no intention of doing that or writing anything, but here we are.  

[Gary L]

7 minutes ago, Mikiesboy said:

I was looking for gay fiction. I joined because I wanted to tell someone what i thought of their story. We talked a bit and after a while they encouraged me to post some poetry here. I had no intention of doing that or writing anything, but here we are.  

And how good for the rest of us! 😀 

[Gary L]

Not sure how I found it but started to read @Mark Arbour around 2015. Then during a long illness I decided to join as a member. Why stay? The late, great Carlos H encouraged me, and many others, to just jump in and write. Although I’ve had a couple of people sending me or posting really horrible messages, I just put that down to experience.  
overall, I feel v supported and appreciated on this site… thank you all.  

[Wayne Gray]

I found Gay Authors through one of my readers. I'd been posting work on Nifty, and he encouraged me to check out GA. I did, and I particularly liked that authors can receive feedback here. That's not everything, but it is incredibly valuable to me. Knowing my work resonates with people helps me to keep writing it.

And I guess I already answered the second part. I stay because I get feedback and can offer it to others.

GA is a great venue for both reading and writing. As long as it stays that way, there will be demand for it.

[pvtguy]

Like  others, I read a story on  another site that mentioned Gay Authors.  I clicked on it and started reading the late Carlos Hazday, and saw a level of quality lacking from the other site.  So, started reading lots of stories, joined so I could also  read the premium content, have been able to proofread for a few authors (an honor, to be sure!), and here I am 13 years later still looking  forward each morning to see what updates have been posted.  I have recommended the site to  several friends.  Keep up the wonderful work both in keeping this site, but also providing a medium to some very talented authors to showcase their works.

[spyke]

I found it through Nifty. I looked around and found so many talented authors and I've stayed. That was 9 years ago. I like the way GA supports authors, both veterans and the newcomers in their works and their desires to grow as authors. The site is easy to navigate by author, genre, subject, etc. I also love that the authors here take risks with their stories and don't get "pigeonholed" into a specific theme or genre. @kbois jumped from romance, to Dom/sub, to wolf shifters. @Wayne Gray goes from romance, to paranormal, to sci-fi, to western ranch life. And most importantly, the authors appreciate comments and feedback. They are as invested in their readers as their readers are invested in them as authors. 

Keep doing what you're doing. It's why people stay. 

Edited 1 hour ago by spyke
Missing Oxford comma. LOL