Annie Nightingale's memoir to White Rabbit

Lee Brackstone’s new imprint for Orion, White Rabbit, has acquired "a memoir of a life at the frontline of music and broadcasting" by BBC Radio One DJ Annie Nightingale, to be published in September.

UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) and European rights to Hey Hi Hello were bought from Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown Associates.

Nightingale was the first female DJ on the BBC and the Guinness World Record holder for the longest running radio show on BBC Radio One. Her memoir will span her career in the music industry "from the early days at BBC Radio One in the 1960s, to the Ground Zero moment of '70s punk, the arrival of acid house and the Second Summer of Love in late '80s, and to bang-up-to-date interviews with Little Simz and Billie Eilish". Also included will be faithful reproductions of encounters with Bob Marley, Marc Bolan, Dusty Springfield and The Beatles.

Publishing to coincide with celebrations at the BBC marking Nightingale's 50-year career, Hey Hi Hello will be published by White Rabbit on 3rd September 2020 in hardback, e-book and audio, priced £18.99.

Brackstone, publisher and founder of White Rabbit, called the book "funny, warm and candid to a fault", and driven by Nightingale’s energy of discovery and passion for music. "This incredible book is a portrait of an artist without whom the past 50 years of British culture would have looked very different indeed," he said. "Always in tune with the nation’s taste, yet effortlessly one step ahead for more than five decades, in this book Annie digs deep into her crate of memories, experiences and encounters to deliver an account of a life lived on the frontiers of pop cultural innovation. I am proud to be publishing such a pioneer for both broadcasting and women in the arts on the White Rabbit list, her insights and unique experience make this a must-have read for music-lovers everywhere."

Nightingale described it as "an honour" to be among the first authors in the White Rabbit imprint, deeming Brackstone "the most recognised and revered figure in British publishing". She added: "To be celebrating my unique 50 years in broadcasting at BBC Radio One with this memoir is quite a moment. I've become very used to self-isolation in time to finish it on deadline!"

White Rabbit, announced last year, launches today (1st April), with 12 titles scheduled for its inaugural year.