I’ve been researching ways regular people like me might be able to get their projects off the ground.
One of these ways is via Kickstarter. The site is a funding platform where people can post their ideas for projects–anything creative involving Art, Comics, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Games, Music, Photography, Publishing, Technology, and Theater–and ask people to help provide funding, with the promise of receiving non-financial rewards in return. In terms of publishing and writing, projects so far have included producing ezines, making journals, and writing various book genres.
Another funding site is Unbound. Unbound is a relatively new site, made to help fund authors before they write their books. Currently they are only promoting well-known, already published authors, or authors with agents. The idea is that authors make sure they have an audience before they write their books. This could be helpful for authors who are trying out a new genre, for example.