So I have started writing this post multiple times, in a multitude of different ways.

There have been attempts at humour, attempts as a story, a letter, even getting ChatGPT to write it for me (boo, hiss!).

Straight off the bat, don’t worry, I am not dying, nor is Etherea vanishing. We are however changing our Modus Operandi. Instead of being a monthly magazine, we are now transitioning to quarterly (well, duh, says the people who see the last issue was from January). We will no longer be taking subscriptions via the website, it will all be directed through Patreon.

The individual covers for stories will be no more (which makes me sad, I enjoyed making them, but with Shutterstock et. al. moving to AI art it’s all a bit shit for creatives). We will however, be looking into purchasing artworks for future covers.

If you haven’t been with us since the beginning, the wording of this post may confuse you. “That’s a mighty fine mountain you have made out of that molehill, Aidan”, you may say. And, in some respects, you would be correct. It isn’t the end of the world that we change our format. But it does feel like a defeat, you know?

Maybe defeat is the wrong word, but it is a concession of territory for sure.

I had such high hopes of what Etherea would be (and am so proud of what we did achieve). Every week was a delight in reading, writing, involvement within the Spec Fic community. But then I started falling behind. And the publication date – which was always to be the 15th – blew out to the 17th, then the 20th, 25th, 30th, early the next month, and so on.

Finding time for the magazine became difficult, and the slush pile turned into an beast that lingered in the corner of every room I walked into. The average time for response on the submissions grew longer, and longer, and longer.

As this was occurring, I was starting a new role which was demanding more of my time.

So I burnt out.

I stopped. Ceased. Didn’t look at it at all. Withdrew from social media, didn’t respond to emails, walked away.

So to all those who tried to contact us in this period, I apologise. (Also, thank you to those who noticed and reached out! It is most appreciated)(Also also, I will be getting to all of them, eventually)

I have attempted to rally a couple of times, but I don’t think that I was actually ready.

But now I am (surely).

So, the good news, the next issue will be out on Wednesday – by hook or by crook. It is will be the longest issue that we have ever published!

To all our subscribers, don’t worry, those who had been subscribed during this last period will be given a lifetime membership – gratis.

I do look forward to re-engaging with all of you, and thank you for your patience and understanding (and if you don’t understand, please at least make the jeers witty – we all appreciate a clever put-down)

Thank you,

Aidan

End note: wherever “we” is used, consider it in the royal plural sense. Katie and Nick kept up their end of the bargain, ’twas I who was the culprit!

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