Unseen Lerker calls it quits...for now

It was a good magazine I liked it. But after a while I knew it was in trouble because you could see they were just not getting the word out enough about the publication.

At any rate, as a subscriber, I hope I will get some sort of refund. My efforts to help out by actually subscribing failed I guess as did the hopes of others

Here is the announcement:

Hello, Lerkerites.

Of course, most of you are expecting a bunch of shiny pages in the post. If you've been on the Unseen Lerker site, you will have seen a recent announcement about the ups and downs of magazine-making that have brought more than a few nights of gut-churning and sweaty eyeballs. To complete that message, I've jotted down my latest news ...

The first words I ever wrote for Unseen Lerker magazine were scrawled in a notebook on a rattly train ride from Sweden to Denmark, in late 2009. I remember the excitement I felt as the idea for an independent wargaming magazine bloomed in my mind, excitement which was reflected in those that I brainstormed the concept with.

Unseen Lerker has been a very rewarding, interesting, fun and challenging experience. I believe deeply that there is a very valuable product within the brand – not just a magazine – and that once fleshed out and developed will be a truly unique and special experience for anyone involved or exposed to it.

It’s been a fairly rocky road for me and for Unseen Lerker in the past 12 months, and due to ongoing circumstances (both related to the magazine and personal reasons) I feel that at this juncture the best course of action is to press the big “Pause” button on Unseen Lerker for a little while. Everyone who has subscribed to the magazine has demonstrated a great amount of faith and I believe that needs to be rewarded with a quality, timely, consistent product – which we are simply not in a position to produce at the moment.

I want to thank everyone who has written in with encouragement and ideas for tailoring this mag into an even better product. Your comments and input are much appreciated.

I’ve got big plans for Unseen Lerker, and a big vision for what the brand will eventually accomplish. But right now the distance between where we are and where I want it to be feels like light years, and I regret to say that my own circumstances don’t currently allow for space travel! Little Lergy has stepped into a big pair of boots, and I hope (after these growing pains) that he will be striding forward bringing plenty to delight you on the page and the Web. 

Commencing in the third week of April we will be refunding our subscribers as much as we can physically afford to. Our advertisers too will be repaid what they are still owed.  Some people have already received specific messages, and we will be following up on those communications during the Easter weekend.

Issue 11 of the magazine, I am afraid, has not made it to print and is not likely to.  On a slightly brighter note, we will be uploading the content created for Issue 11, as well as all of our past issues to our website as complimentary downloads – in case you missed an issue, or never got a chance to see what the early days were like, you can now peruse them for free. The website will remain active indefinitely to continue hosting these issues. We will keep you updated on the availability and presence of these issues, so please look forward to progressive announcements regarding this.

I’d like to extend my personal thanks to everyone who has supported the Unseen Lerker project over the past two years: friends, family, subscribers, contributors, advertisers, sponsors. I greatly appreciate the belief and understanding that everyone has shown. During the next six months time I will sit down to revise and revisit the concept of Unseen Lerker – what it is, where it needs to go, what YOU really want, and how to deliver it in Lerker Style – but for now I feel it is in everyone’s best interest for the magazine to go to sleep for a while.

I understand that this decision will sit better with some than with others. I have been battling with it for quite some time and it’s certainly one of the more difficult crossroads I have encountered in my life. Please speak up if you have concerns, questions or otherwise – I’ll still be on hand to answer emails. Drop me a line at bobo@unseenlerker.com
With too many (cannon) balls in the air, my replies have taken over a week, but I assure you I read and respond to every one, and I'll do my best to avoid keeping you waiting.

I look forward to seeing what the future brings. Thank you again for you time and support.
Hoping life's adventures are have less bump and more bounce for you ...