Following the announcement that Beryl Bainbridge has died at the age of 75, we delve into the Guardian book club archives to find her on fine form last year, talking about her transformation from an the author of autobiographical stories into a chronicler of historical catastrophe. Bainbridge was famously loyal to the independent publisher Duckworth, which never paid her more than £2,000 for a novel and never printed more than 3,000 copies.
We set off on the trail of the new generation of indie publishers and find them in rude health and ganging up together. Stephen Page, boss of Faber, explains why he became involved in setting up the Independent Alliance of Publishers, a partnership of 10 small firms, which is five years old this month. Critic and commentator Alex Clark looks at some of the Alliance's successes, ranging from the 4m sales of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, to this week's Samuel Johnson prize-winner, Nothing to Envy, by Barbara Demick. We also talk to the Australian novelist Christos Tsiolkas about his summer hit The Slap.
Reading list
Every Man for Himself, by Beryl Bainbridge (Abacus)
Nothing to Envy, by Barbara Demick (Granta)
The Slap, by Christos Tsiolkas (Tusker Rock)
The Death of Bunny Munro, by Nick Cave, paperback and audiobook, with original soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (Canongate)
