Bookstore and Author: It Takes Two to Tango

By Joel Crockett and David Skibbins

The town of Gualala, California, hangs over the Pacific Coast, almost two hours away from the nearest MacDonald's, Wal-Mart, Borders, or Safeway. To the south, cows walk unfenced across the only highway into town. In wet weather the river to the north inevitably floods, shutting off all traffic till it recedes. Fewer than 2,000 locals live here year round.

Amazingly, though, Gualala supports a thriving local bookstore, Four-Eyed Frog Books. It doesn't hurt that The Sea Ranch, a popular vacation spot, is just a few miles to the south. But during long, wet, foggy, coastal winters, the survival of the bookstore depends not on visitors, but on loyal, local customers.

No other bookstore has sold more of David Skibbins' mysteries than The Four-Eyed Frog: nearly 600 books by the time this article was written. And Skibbins' books continue to show up almost weekly on the bookstore's bestseller lists. This amazing record comes about because of the power of the partnership between the writer and the owners of the bookstore.

"There's nothing more rewarding than introducing a customer to a new book, to a new author," said Joel Crockett, co-owner of the bookstore with his brother, Jeremy. "That's especially true when you know the author, when you know what led to the writing of the first book, when you can say with authority, 'You'll love this mystery.' Of course, it helps a lot that David's books are good. If they weren't, I'm sure we'd be friends but the partnership wouldn't work."

Skibbins added, "It started for me with my passion to have Joel's bookstore survive. Our last bookstore in town folded three years before Four-Eyed Frog Books opened. I know firsthand that a town without a bookstore is a sad and lonely place! I'd just won the St. Martin's Best Traditional Mystery Award, when Joel and Jeremy opened Four-Eyed Frog Books. My book-signing event for Eight of Swords was the biggest event the bookstore had seen up till then. It was also one heck of a thrill for me to talk to more than 70 folks about my book!

"When I went on tour, I found out how very rare that kind of event really is! I realized that there was something very magical about the synchronicity that happened every time Joel and I got together to talk about promoting my books and growing his business. We decided to see what more we could do with this informal partnership we had created."

Today the partnership between Skibbins and The Four-Eyed Frog goes beyond handselling The Tarot Card Mystery series across the counter, or creating successful book launch events. Skibbins is a strong supporter of independent bookstores in general. On his website, www.davidskibbins.com, he has listed Four-Eyed Frog Books as the online source for autographed copies of his mysteries, and he includes links to BookSense.com and to other independent bookstores (most specializing in mysteries) across the country.

"I will never have a link to Amazon on my website," said Skibbins. "It's so great to have a real store near me. When people go on my site, or phone me, or e-mail me asking for a personalized, signed copy of one of my books, I just give them Joel's phone number and e-mail. They order through him, and then I go up to the store and sign it for them. It's not a chain store, Wal-Mart merchandizing, or computerized automation. It's a people-to-people interaction. That's how all books should be sold."

Crockett and Skibbens do some form of work exchange every week. Crockett proofreads the ARCs for each of Skibbins' new books, often catching little things overlooked by the editors. "He is my last line of editorial defense," Skibbins explained.

When Skibbins reads a book he especially likes (usually from the Young Adult section), he writes a review that Crockett posts as a "Staff Pick" on the shelves of his bookstore and on his store's website, www.foureyedfrog.com.

Recently, The Four-Eyed Frog put together an advisory council comprised of people in the community who are interested in ensuring the long-term success of the bookstore. "We wanted to attract people who have backgrounds, experiences, and skills different from ours," said Crockett. "We were looking for an active committee that would put our feet to the fire. We got it. Based on input, suggestions, and action from the group our sales are up, our margins are up, and our expenses are down."

Skibbins was the first to volunteer for the council. His experience as an author who has visited bookstores large and small, all over the country, has been invaluable. His experience as a life coach (and an earlier career as a corporate sales manager) also helps in this process. Skibbins said, "Sometimes it's a little like herding cats. Everyone has great ideas about what Joel should do, if only he could just clone himself. Joel and I both try to keep the group focused."

When Skibbins is not on a book tour, he and Crockett touch base regularly to explore other ways in which they can bring value to each other. They collaborate and share expenses on advertising for the Skibbins events. Crockett attends and sells books at Skibbins' offsite readings. They have also been in community theater together.

They have even talked about creating workshops to encourage and enable bookstores and authors to look for partnering opportunities. And, of course, this article is yet another manifestation of the fruit of their relationship. The partnership between author Skibbins and bookseller Crockett has made a substantive and measurable difference in the lives, and in the careers of both men.

The road to success will never be an easy one, not for the bookstore nor for the author. But when the path is shared, it truly offers a realistic hope for tangoing down it towards "the best of times."

Joel Crockett is co-owner, with his brother, Jeremy, of The Four-Eyed Frog Books in Gualala, California. David Skibbins is the author of The Tarot Card Mystery Series (St. Martin's Minotaur). Skibbins' Eight of Swords and The Star have been selected as Book Sense Notable titles.