In some way, this is already what’s happening on Twitter and Facebook, but to establish a network of people whose tastes you like takes a while right now, whereas with a subscription site you could jump in fairly quickly and not have to wait for reciprocating friending or wade through non-publication related posts. Maybe all we need is some sort of Twitter or Facebook app adapted for our needs!

The problem for me, as I’ve said in the other comment, is really the time and effort needed to keep up with publications right now. Of course I could already subscribe to Lay Flat and other indie mags, but in order to do that I need to keep up with the blogs and subscribe to 10+ feeds and use all sorts of different payment systems.

It also limits me pretty much to the high art community, unless I spend a comparable amount of searching out other random photographers. Something where anyone can sign up and you can either stay within your own community or search for a variety of other things would be really interesting, at least in my mind. Maybe it does nothing to promote livelihoods for working artists, but I would like the ability to buy random singles from random photographers, whether they want a serious career in art or no. Perhaps this is problematic!

Actually, there’s nothing stopping photographers from doing that right now, is there? I mean I could easily just stuff a bunch of images into iPhoto and spit out a bunch of books and send them off to whoever had paid for a subscription.

What would make this even better is if I could subscribe to certain editors: “oh, this guy always picks out the best work from emerging artists; when he has 30 prints that he thinks everyone should see, go ahead and print them up and send me a book of them. OKTHXBAI.”

Just wanted to say that I’ve been pulling a lot of links out of the collaborating blogs and plan on publishing them as related posts in the coming day. Those include: online publications, physical publication, publishers, printers, and JUST PLAIN COOL THINGS.

I don’t know if it’d get too Amazon monolith-like, but it’d be nice to have a centralized net destination, as you call it, for fine art / documentary photo products. Right now you have to keep up with dozens of blogs to figure out what publishers are offering what and which photographers are having print sales. I think it’d benefit everyone to have a place where you’re reminded that someone whose work you like has released something new or made a print available.

You know, someone should really compile a list of all the indie periodicals like Lay Flat, Publication, etc. Maybe I’ll start adding to the sidebar… I’m confused about the Kalina mag though – all that’s on his site seems to be images of the covers. Maybe there’s not enough to warrant a list now? Or maybe I just don’t know… that’s the problem!