A friend came across this, which seems like an innovative, if slightly desperate way to get off the ground...

http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.com/2010/02/show-me-money-or-putting-fun-into.html

Personally, I think he's aiming too low, should be crowd-funding the film rights too...

Publishing co-ops are nothing new, but this isn't what he's proposing. Instead he's asking several hundred people to pledge to buy the book before it's published, and as soon as he hits the magic number to make it a commercial proposition he takes their money, goes ahead, and posts them a copy.
The problem is he's got his numbers wrong: "The cost of self-publishing, going the print-on-demand (POD) route, is roughly €1,500" - simply put: No, it's not. You can go via Lulu. You don't even need to shell out a couple of hundred dollars for their ISBN and listing package.

As a means to an end, I think there's not much point. Selling three hundred and odd copies won't help attract a publisher, nor will it make the writer feel any better.

However, it's a fun idea and it might attract a bit of publicity...which in turn...
HBx