Ye olde Substack: publishing’s hot new business model has 17th-century origins

The gossip sheets of yesteryear have been reborn. Recently some journalists have cut out advertisers and algorithms and started to deliver their thoughts straight to the inbox of paying subscribers. But did you know that this million-dollar industry has roots that stem back four centuries? Tom Standage takes us back to the coffee-houses of 1650s London to show us that the hottest journalism model of today, is also the oldest.