How do you win the dating game if you’re a gay man?

After many years of serial monogamy, Dave Singleton went to the front lines to find out, exploring the lives of other gay men who found themselves on the dating fast track with guys they’d met from work, at the gym or bars, and, increasingly, on the Internet. Thus, The Mandates was born—a laugh-out-loud but completely true set of rules about the making (or breaking) of men’s romantic relationships.

A sampling:

Mandate #10: Everything You Need to Know, You Learn in the First Five Minutes

Mandate #12: The Difference Between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now: Learn It!

Mandate #13: Things You Should Never, Ever, for Any Reason Say Out Loud in the First Six Months of Dating

Mandate #24: Be Your Own “Judge Judy”: Evaluating Heinous vs. Forgivable Sins

Plus, “A Gay Dating Primer: Dos and Don’ts,” and excellent advice on “The Who, What, Where, and How of Meeting a Guy” and “Marking the Milestones of Gay Dating.” At long last, here is a hilarious, definitive gay man’s guide to finding Mr. Right.