Whether you get your book published traditionally through a commercial publisher or you self-publish, you are responsible for promoting and selling your book. What better way than to display a dynamic slide show at your web site or blog? Amazon.com offers an interactive slide show widget for promoting and selling your books online at your site. You will find several slide show styles to suit your taste and size requirements.

Regardless of the style you choose, you will notice that when you put your cursor over a book, the rating and price appear. A "buy" button also appears linking to Amazon.com for the purchase. It couldn't be easier! What an efficient way to promote and sell your book.

Since it's a slide show, you will need to show more than one book. But suppose you have only one book? No problem. Consider featuring other authors' books along with yours--and ask them to do the same. You'll get much wider exposure and be helping your colleagues at the same time.

Here's how to use Amazon's slide show widget at your web site or blog:

1. Click "Get Widget" link shown at the bottom of this article.

2. Login to Amazon.com with your account login.

3. Enter "Books" and type in the author's name into search for the book(s) you want to feature.

4. Click "add product" to add the book to your slide show.

5. Add information in the "comments box" as desired and save.

6. Click "next step" to choose your layout from the various options. (For my blog, I chose scrolling; landscape; 400x150; medium transition, shuffle products, a custom blue border, and transparent background.)

7. Click "Add to my web page" and choose your type of web page or blog.

8. Click "copy" to get the code.

9. Follow the directions for pasting the code into your web site or blog.

10. Voila! You have a great slide show featuring your books.

Remember, once you get your book published, be sure to start your promotion with your own Amazon slide show widget. See a gallery- style slide show at the AuthorAssist blog page, Books by Our Authors. That slide show has the following options: gallery, 430x324, fade, medium transition page, products, and a custom blue border, and transparent background. Be sure to check out the Amazon Blogs and other Amazon.com widgets to continually promote and sell your book(s) online.

For a decade, Patricia Benesh has been providing personal coaching and a range of "success-oriented services" to fiction and nonfiction writers at http://AuthorAssist.com. No matter what your writing level or publishing goal (traditional publishing, self-publishing), AuthorAssist helps ensure you are ready to get your book published. Get complimentary feedback on your writing at http://AuthorAssist.com/complimentary.html.