Of all the methods I've tried to market my book, none beats establishing a relationship with bookstores. I used to be shy, especially when it came to meeting new people, and especially when doing anything remotely connected to sales, and particularly when it had anything to do with selling something of mine. Mama told me never to "blow your own horn," so it took a while to shift gears.

When I met the nice guys at Four-Eyed Frog Bookstore, all that changed.They've been so good to me. Two brothers who truly love books are making a go of it with an independent bookstore in the small town of Gualala, CA, on the Northern California coast.

They made me feel comfortable the moment I met them, and were not the least uncomfortable with the idea of, gasp, "selling." I've learned a great deal by just watching them, and they've helped me tremendously.

They've had Accidental Cowgirl for a year now, and have sold the most copies of any of the local bookstores. How do they do it? They simply keep a postcard of the book cover by the cash register, and when folks ask about it, they go into their "local author" routine, and recommend the book.

You can't even pay for that kind of advertising. That's hand selling, and it works!