I think it's certainly possible; depending on your subject niche, you may even be able to cultivate a rapport with academics in the field you are interested in.

I think it's certainly possible; depending on your subject niche, you may even be able to cultivate a rapport with academics in the field you are interested in. For the sake of discussion, let's say you enjoy pastry filling optimization. Reach out to those academics who study pastry filling optimization at a variety of institutions. Most won't get back to you, as a professor/academic's day job is busy and requires more than simply conducting research. This isn't out of malice so much as an accident. Heck, some professors I am taking classes with miss my emails! Eventually you'll build up a relationship with a few who have returned your emails (or Twitter DMs). At this point, you could suggest collaborating on a paper together. Most will probably decline, but there is a nonzero amount of academics more than willing to collaborate with anybody, given they know you have your wits about you. That is, so long as you don't come across as a pastry filling optimization crank. :)