I’ve been watching out for Lindera germination on a regular base and had started to think about what could have been wrong: I collected the seeds myself, cleaned the pulp by hand (the seed coat is very thin), kept them moist and warm in late fall and then provided winter cold outside.
It seems nothing was wrong – a couple of days ago they finally showed up! Apparently they like to germinate (speaking of the shoots) after it gets a little warmer.
Welcome!