How does affiliate tracking work: A 'not-too-technical' overview! - by Todd Farmer and Jeff Doak
Affiliate Managers and other web marketers have employed a variety of tracking technologies and strategies, over the last few years, in their quest for accurately accounting for referred customers. Tracking customers "from click through to sale" can be accomplished with various tracking methods, such as:

Reach Out and LISTEN!
Some Rules & Lessons Learned About Communications - by Jim Gribble
When I first started managing client's affiliate programs I dreaded the thought of becoming inundated with emails from anybody with a website. I figured I'd get umpteen questions like: "I joined your affiliate program, so how do I start making money?" or "How is this code going to turn into a banner on my site?"

How To Recruit Affiliates With The Affiliate Directories - by Neil Durrant
There are many affiliate directories providing searchable database's to help webmasters find affiliate programs suitable for their sites. Think of them as the Yahoo's for the affiliate world.