The Internet.
With the advent of the Internet in our life, everything has become much easier, it's easier to earn popularity. If you are embarrassed to speak in public, then through the web to do it is not at all scary. Maximum, you will see criticism on the screen of the monitor, but how can these letters on the screen seriously hurt?
Remember that professional critics in the network of the unit, but those who want to criticize - millions. Therefore, one should not take seriously anyone else's enthusiasm, no reproof. First of all, you must be confident in yourself, and not seek confidence in others.
The Internet allows you to create a personal page or website. If you do a little tormenting the search engines, you will come across dozens of professional communities where people like you communicate, share their creativity, arrange contests, evaluate each other.
Some of them were lucky, the Internet made them popular, there were publishers and first fees. In order for you to be successful, be ready for serious work. You will have to constantly improve, learn, correct mistakes and write, write, write - without this in any way.
Interest club.
Strangely enough, but poetry clubs still exist. They can be in a newspaper related to literature, in the homes of culture or in universities. Information about such organizations is publicly available, and finding it using the same Internet is not that difficult.
Communication in such clubs is already real. People read their own and other people's poems in public, and this is much more exciting than online performances. The largest writers' clubs work in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but there are other big cities, perhaps not so far away from you.
Communication in such clubs is useful. Firstly, this is a real opportunity to learn. Without criticism will not do, but if you have the ability, you will hear praise from people who have achieved something in this field. Secondly, these are the connections. Where people communicate on the same topic, inevitably arise burning questions about how and where to be published, if we are talking about literary communities. Sometimes publishers themselves look at the light in an attempt to open the world to a new Akhmatova.
The atmosphere on these gatherings is usually friendly, but you should understand that creative people who are passionate about their business may not be like those with whom you are accustomed to communicate. And, maybe, you will meet kindred souls and you will appear, at last, among the.
How to become a professional poet?
Of course, many people who successfully rhyme the lines would like to become a popular and respected poet. There is nothing wrong with what you want, too. But know that poetry is not so popular as the prose and the chances that you will have a multimillion-dollar army of admirers is practically nonexistent. These are the costs of our time, to the writers the confession comes rarely and often late. If you look at the websites of publishing houses, you can see that the poetry collections are published only in a few of them and in very small editions. This is not because there are no talents, but because there is no demand. If you understand this and still want to become a published poet - then go.
First, compile a collection of poems that you think are the best. Get the support of more famous brethren on pen - a couple of recommendations do not interfere. You will have a better chance of being published if you win any contest in your genre. Even a network contest is not a bad chance to be seen. Therefore - participate and do not neglect the opportunities.
If publishers for some reason do not hunt for you, offering frenzied fees, offer your creations by yourself. Send out the manuscripts with a brief annotation to those publishers who are engaged in poetry, write and develop. Then it may very well be that in the end you will be noticed. True, more and more talents prefer to write "on the table," and some find themselves as the author of congratulatory poems and short stikers for postcards, which you have repeatedly bought in the supermarket. If such a fate does not appeal to you, you will have to try very hard to become recognized as a serious poet.