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The Speakerfile platform will help authors promote their work… providing the discoverability that I know all publishers and authors are seeking: an engine that will place authors in front of audiences and drive book sales.

New York City, NY (PRWEB) June 22, 2012

On June 5th, during the Book Expo America convention, Speakerfile announced the release of its Publisher Edition, which promises to change the way conference organizers discover and book authors for speaking engagements. Today, the Toronto startup is proud to announce it has begun working with New York-based publishing executive Philip Turner to introduce their online platform to the bookseller, librarian, publisher, publicist, literary agent, and author communities. Turner brings decades of bookselling, editing, and publishing experience to the new role of Business Development for the Speakerfile team. This collaboration comes at an exciting moment as Speakerfile moves to showcase authors in the expanding market of conferences and events—many of which are co-hosted by librarians and retail booksellers.

“Author appearances drive book sales, therefore the publishing market is huge for Speakerfile. Philip Turner has a unique perspective on how this market is changing for authors and the entire publishing industry,” says Peter Evans, CEO of Speakerfile. “From our first meeting, Philip understood our vision for helping authors gain more visibility as speakers. He came recommended by the biggest players in the industry. Having Philip as a resource on the ground in the New York market will help us discover new publisher and author clients and serve them well.”

Over the past 25 years, Turner has held a number of senior positions with publishers in New York City, acquiring, editing, and publishing many notable titles. As Senior Editor and Editor-in-Chief of Kodansha America and Kodansha Globe, he published the first paperback edition of Barack Obama’s DREAMS FROM MY FATHER: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1996). While Executive Editor and Editor-in-Chief with Carroll & Graf, Turner acquired, edited, and published THE POLITICS OF TRUTH: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife’s CIA Identity by Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller (2004), and became in part the basis of the film “Fair Game.” He also published the U.S. edition of the Canadian bestseller SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire (2006), a Washington Post bestseller. Turner is a member of the PEN American Center, an associate member of the National Book Critics Circle, and a member of Your Expert Nation. Since 2009 he has operated Philip Turner Book Productions, an editorial and marketing consultancy. In 2011 he began curating and writing The Great Gray Bridge, a popular blog devoted to coverage of books, publishing, music, urban life, and current affairs.

“The response from the publishing market to Speakerfile has already been tremendous,” says Philip Turner. “Speaking engagements have become increasingly important for authors to promote their work, yet meeting planners and conference organizers have lacked an effective way to discover and connect with the right speakers for their events. Some publishers have recognized this by starting their own in-house speakers bureaus. Speakerfile is not duplicating those efforts, and is not in competition with publishers. Instead, its ingenious software works like a matchmaking service to connect the right authors with the right events.”

The Speakerfile online marketplace offers individual accounts for authors and speakers, as well as corporate accounts for publishers, publicists, and organizations. Accounts are offered free of charge for event planners who are listing their event and searching for authors for speaking engagements, as well as for members of the media.

“I am confident the Speakerfile platform will help authors promote their work even in an increasingly crowded marketplace, providing the discoverability that I know all publishers and authors are seeking: an engine that will place authors in front of audiences and drive book sales,” says Turner. “Speakerfile offers authors an engaging online presence that will more efficiently connect them to event organizers, and even members of the media, who are also invited to register on the platform free of charge.”

The Speakerfile online platform does not charge a commission for speaker placements; the platform generates revenue from premium speaker profiles and corporate speaker bureau software. The Speakerfile signup page provides more information on membership types and pricing.

About Speakerfile
Speakerfile is an online expert network and events marketplace that provides a better way to connect industry and professional speakers with global events and media. Offered as a free service to event organizers, Speakerfile is a simpler way to discover, evaluate and efficiently connect with speakers using rich-media profiles, advanced search, and private connection features. For organizations seeking to promote their thought leaders as speakers, Speakerfile allows those organizations to quickly create an affordable and professional looking corporate speaker site that can be viewed and efficiently searched by a global network of event organizers.

Speakerfile has a growing base of industry clients now using its platform to feature their experts and speakers in knowledge-based industries, including: Legal, Accounting, Finance, Technology, Media/Publishing and Health Care. Clients include: Deloitte, KPMG, Moveable Type Management, Research in Motion, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, IDC, Baycrest Hospital, Veracap Corporate Finance, and the Conference Board of Canada.

For more information, visit http://www.speakerfile.com, or follow us on Twitter at @Speakerfile.

Editor’s Note: Images and logos are available on the Speakerfile Media page.