Funding

  I submitted my poem book to two publishing houses. Both responded and I selected what I believed to be the better deal. I paid upfront (with some assistance). At this time, I do not have to pay for marketing and other promotion costs. 

I did not think of GoFundMe or other crowdfunding platforms to publish the book. (I am surprised that so many people do - I found the examples: https://www.gofundme.com/f/turning-passion-into-a-published-book, https://www.gofundme.com/f/gumu6m-publish-my-memoir, and https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-to-publish-an-eco-childrens-book). With this approach, you are counting on the kindness of your community.

(I used GoFundMe in the past to raise funds. I know that a lot of people use it to raise funds to cover medical expenses. https://www.gofundme.com/discover/medical-fundraiser. I am not considering GoFundMe at this time.)