Lawrence Watt-Evans has done something like Kickstarter for I think 4 or 5 of his novels. Only just had fans pay him direct.
He starts off by writing a few chapters and posting them on his website. If he gets $250, he posts another chapter of the book. When he gets another $250, another chapter, on and on until it's done, where he takes it off the website and gets it edited and turned into a book.
When it's done, people who paid enough will get a copy of the book ($25 for paper, $10 for e-book).
Apparently he's thinking about giving Kickstarter a try.
http://www.ethshar.com/serials/