When I sent the manuscript for my first book out, I spent a grip on submission fees for book contests. My first book was eventually published, but not because of a contest. So when it was time to send out the manuscript for my current book, I took a different approach that I share in this video. It’s mostly free and is another way of engaging publishers.
Poetry Book Proposal Template (it should be adaptable for other genres): http://bit.ly/Proposal_Template