‘I guess I’m having a go at killing it’: Salman Rushdie to bypass print and publish next book on Substack

The author on why he's chosen to release his next book on the online platform - and why he hopes digital won't see off the medium he loves most

Out of the gloom Salman Rushdie floats into view, his familiar face with short beard and glasses hovering on screen in front of a library that should win any competition for the most impressive Zoom bookshelf backdrop.

From his New York apartment he is here to share three things: he has made a deal to publish his next work of fiction as a serialised novella on Substack; he intends to fulfil a long held, once thwarted desire to be a film critic; and he still doesn't have the courage to write poetry.