What does an author do when his last few books have been hugely successful? If he’s Matthew Branton, lone ranger crusading against the increasing commercialism of the publishing industry, he gives his new novel away. For free. The Babu read The Tie and the Crest over the last week, and has to agree that it’s pretty good. The Independent has a profile that paints Branton as this iconoclastic reinvented hippy–for a clearer look at the man, go to his own website.