A. M. Harte surprised me today with this: Come Salutare La Morte.

That's my poem, How To Greet Death, translated into Italian.

If you don't know who A.M. Harte is, you should: she's the author of the weblit novel Above Ground, an editor at WebFictionGuide.com and ErgoFiction, a talented poet in her own right, and one of the most approachable, charming women I've met.

Anna, you're one of the coolest fans ever.

Jan Oda over at ErgoFiction has a fantastic article with 6 Tips For Webfiction Fans that want to promote their favorite writers, but may not have the funds to support them financially. Hop over there right now and read it (and bookmark the main site for later -- ErgoFiction is turning into a great e-zine for fans of weblit and webfiction), if you haven't already, then I'll share a few tips of my own.

Ready? Good.

Get Off The Net
Every month, Eclipse Coffee and Books here in Montevallo hosts a poetry slam, and I've participated at the last three. Every month, four of my fans come out to see me perform and their support is invaluable. I've never won a slam, but their presence is really the reason I keep trying, month after month. Before and after the slams, they're often posting on their Facebook and Twitter accounts about coming to see me, and that's a great way to spread the buzz.

Obviously, the bulk of my fans can't come out to see me at the poetry slams, but there are plenty of other ways you can help promote your favorite weblit writer in the real world. Design a flyer or business card for them (or print off copies the writer has provided), and hand them out in your local area. If you're a cosplayer, consider dressing up as your favorite weblit characters. One of Irk & Char's fans cosplayed as The Peacock King at a convention and that's some of the best publicity a weblit writer could ask for.

Create a weblit readers group in your local area. It's a great way to introduce new readers to your favorite writer (and more importantly, to the weblit format itself, which helps us all) and you'll get to meet some local people that share your interest.

Translation Services
I speak English well and Spanish really poorly. I've always wanted to learn more languages, but I've never really had the time. But weblit is a global thing, and if my traffic stats are correct, I've got readers from all over the place -- Belgium, Japan, South Africa, India, France, Germany, and a whole lot more. I have to assume those people can read English, but I'd absolutely love to be able to offer my work to them in their native language. More importantly, translated copies would help me break into international markets easier.

Of course, I don't have the time, the resources, or the know-how to do that myself. So here's my proposal to any of my fans out there with language skills: if you can create an accurate translation of any of my work into another language, I'll take care of hosting it and integrating it into my site, and you'll have my undying thanks. I think any other weblit writer would tell you the same.