poetry - What's next when it comes to poems?

What are the steps that one needs to follow to become a successful poet?

Well in my case, I write poems but don't have a wide audience for the feedback. So in this case what should I do? Should I keep on writing my poems and show it to the stiver of audience I do have on Facebook and YouTube or should I be moving on to the next level? If so, what's the next level and how to proceed towards it? All in all I would like a layout of a poet's career.

Answer

Poets don't tend to have "careers" in terms of remunerative employment. Even great poets have tended to be either independently wealthy or otherwise employed (T.S. Eliot famously worked at a bank, and Maya Angelou made her name writing autobiography before she was ever known as a poet). You can be a figure of respect, and influence, with devoted fans, in the poetry world, and still never make a dime. Given that, your career needs to be approached as a question of how best to ensure your work reaches an audience, rather than in terms of more prosaic concerns. Freed from the fantasy of financial gain, you could always seek out creative ways to get your work "out there." For example, you could volunteer to write "occasional" poetry to mark special events, or in honor of a school or a non-profit organization, or a person. You could also become a lyricist or even a rapper.

Your real best bet, however, is to identify a community of people who enjoy the kind of poetry you do, and find a way to connect with them. For instance, many cities have regular "coffeehouse" events where people read either traditional or slam-style poetry. Take along a self-published chapbook or collection, and you'll be able to make personal sales to people who enjoyed your work. It this goes well, you might be able to start touring around, doing higher profile events locally and in other cities, or even booking your own solo readings at libraries and bookstores.

If you don't have any local community of "live" poets or venues, you might think about organizing your own. The local poets with the highest profile (in my city) are always tirelessly working to build audiences, not just for themselves, but for all poets. Poetry is arguably primarily a performance art, so you'll be showcasing your work better if you find a place to declaim it, rather than just publish it. If that doesn't work for you, there's always the internet, but you'll be one small fish swimming in a great big pool of other aspiring poets. So even there you'll need to either find a community or create one.