ACross the waves: from radio
caroline to classic fm
by Nick Bailey
Encouraged by his daughter Sally to write down the story of his fifty-year career in radio, Nick Bailey came to us with a clear idea of the book he wanted to make, its market, and his budget.
It was obvious from the outset that Nick had no shortage of good material to write about, from his early childhood in post-war London, through his time on pirate radio in the Swinging Sixties, to being the voice that launched Classic FM in 1992. Travel was perhaps the most obvious theme: as well as reading the news on the pitching waves of the Irish Sea, Nick has broadcast from places as diverse as Cold War Berlin, the sweltering Australian outback and pre-handover Hong Kong. Our first step was to help Nick decide how to organise his memories, to give them direction and allow the themes of radio, roaming and romance to shine through.
Nick raided his family archives and uncovered a wealth of photos and memorabilia that would add visual interest to his emerging story. Angela chose a wood-free paper for the book’s pages, for its tactile quality and a classic paperback format was decided on. With a plan laid out, Nick got down to writing in earnest and delivered monthly batches of text, meeting regularly with Simon to review the emerging story and keep things on track. Once the manuscript was completed they worked closely to hone it into its final form. A foreword from Nick’s Classic FM colleague Paul Gambaccini was the finishing touch on this charmingly candid memoir.
“Working on my manuscript with Simon at Otherwise was not only an absolute pleasure but also a cathartic experience – by the end I felt he knew me better than I knew myself. He steered me through decisions about what should be included and what should be left out, turning what might have been a ramble into something with a clear arc, and artfully sorted the photographs from my vast collection to fit alongside the text. The layout and feel of the finished book is splendid and I’m very proud of what Otherwise has produced on my behalf.”
NICK BAILEY
