Philip Turner, August 2011

At my website "The Great Gray Bridge" I share my enthusiasms for publishing, books, media, culture, and current events, along with information on Philip Turner Book Productions. Please visit there and click on "About Philip Turner Book Productions" and "About Philip Turner" at the top of the site to read more about my background and experience. http://www.philipsturner.com/

Philip Turner Book Productions LLC is my own company in which I offer a diverse menu of editorial services to authors, agents and publishers, such as:
• Line-editing of book proposals and manuscripts;
• Co-agenting with other literary representatives on behalf of author clients to place books with publishers;
• Developing and packaging books to offer to publishers that feature unique insiders—truthtellers, whistleblowers, muckrakers and revisionist historians;
• Publishing independently under the Philip Turner Books imprint when dynamic opportunities arise.
• Cultivating new publishing opportunities for narrative journalists in longform reporting, both as ebooks and print editions, inspired by emerging models like theatavist.net, byliner.com, and Kindle Singles.

I established Philip Turner Book Productions in 2009 after three decades of varied experience in the book business. In developing the business, I have widened my considerable network of authors, agents, publishers, and media contacts to provide unique services to clients while simultaneously sharpening my sense of what publishers are looking for and what they should be interested in publishing. With a background in retailing bookselling as my formative experience, I am an advocate for writers and readers. I edit with the author perched on one shoulder, and the reader on the other, fostering a virtual dialogue between the two and creating mutual benefit for each. I am devoted to helping writers navigate a path through the lurching transition that the book industry is experiencing nowadays as we morph from a print world to a new world that combines digital and print modes for avid readers. I welcome queries from new and experienced writers, predominantly in nonfiction, and some fiction, with fees quoted upon receipt and consideration of material.

I began my career in 1978 by founding and operating Undercover Books, an independent bookstore that grew to a three-store chain. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Undercover became a go-to store for publishers eager to break out books on the national scene. Some of the notable authors whose careersand books Undercover Books helped launch include Mark Helprin (WINTER'S TALE), Richard North Patterson (THE LASKO TANGENT), and Walter Tevis (QUEEN'S GAMBIT). With book industry leader Leonard Shatzkin and his son Mike Shatzkin (now known for his expert analysis of the ebook space) we innovated a purchasing method that stocked our stores profitably while taking optimal advantage of key information provided by sales reps and sales management at the publishing houses from whom we ordered books. This seminal experiment in book ordering, which we called “the rep program," was outlined in Chapter 7 of the elder Shatzkin's 1982 book, IN COLD TYPE: Overcoming the Book Crisis. It led to greater profitability and fewer out-of-stock situations than we had ever achieved before.

After seven years in bookselling, I moved to New York City and began working as an acquiring editor and publishing executive. Since 1986 I have held a number of senior positions with major publishers in New York City, acquiring and publishing many notable titles. As Senior Editor and Editor-in-Chief of Kodansha America and Kodansha Globe from 1992-1997 I published the first paperback edition of future President Barack Obama's DREAMS FROM MY FATHER: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1996). As Executive Editor of Times Books, then a division of Random House, I was the imprint’s liasion to the New York Times and published books with the editors of the NY Times Book Review, and such NY Times departments as Real Estate, Dining, Movies, City, and Health. With Crown Publishing, also a division of Random House, I acquired the international bestseller by Edwin Black IBM & THE HOLOCAUST: The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America’s Most Powerful Corporation (2000). While Executive Editor and Editor-in-Chief with Carroll & Graf from 2000-2006, I edited and published the New York Times bestsellers THE POLITICS OF TRUTH: Inside the Lies that Put the White House on Trial and Betrayed My Wife’s CIA Identity (2004) by Ambassador Joseph Wilson (which later became the basis in part for the film, "Fair Game") and THE WOMAN WHO WOULDN'T TALK: Why I Refused to Testify Against the Clintons and What I Learned in Jail (2001) by Susan MacDougal. As Editorial Director of Union Square Press, in 2008 I edited and published COVERT: MY Years Infiltrating the Mob by NBA referee Bob Delaney with Dave Scheiber, a USA TODAY Best Book of the Year.

I have also published six books with Ruth Gruber, the remarkable photojournalist who in May 2011 received the International Center of Photography's Cornell Capa Infinity Award. An exhibit of her photojournalism is running at ICP in New York from May 20-to August 28, 2011. Gruber, now in her 100th year, is the subject of a recent documentary, "Ahead of Time," also the title of one of the books I published by her. Four of Gruber’s books, including AHEAD OF TIME: My Early Years as a Foreign Correspondent, are now available as ebooks from Open Road Integrated Media.

As the book market has become more competitive and crowded with hundreds of thousands of titles, I have increasingly become devoted to publishing authors who have passed through a crucible of experience that leaves him or her uniquely qualified to tell the tale. I call these "imperative" books, ones that really matter in people's lives.

In August 2011 the BN Review published my personal essay "William Styron: A Promise Kept."
http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Reviews-Essays/William-Styron-A-Promise-Kept/ba-p/5343

I am an active participant in numerous literary and cultural realms. Below is a partial list of memberships, affiliations, interests, and educational attainment:
• Member, PEN America Center and contributor to the PEN blog at http://bit.ly/g8Es9j.
• Chair, Membership Committee, Book Table, publishing industry monthly lunch club.
• Attended Book Camp NYC, an unconference, Dec. 2010 and Feb. 2011 http://bit.ly/dMwD3k and http://bit.ly/i4tAoD
• Associate member of the National Book Critics Circle;
• Member, the Personal Democracy Forum, community that explores the intersection among politics, technology, and culture;
• Guest Instructor 2008-2011, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism's Winter Academy;
• Member, CBC Radio 3's informal music and blogging community, http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/profile/PhilipST;
• For published journalism by and about me please see: http://bit.ly/jkLZzB; http://bit.ly/mQ9NwK; http://bit.ly/javr8J; http://bit.ly/lXy00d; http://bit.ly/kLbF4D.
• BA in Philosophy of Education and History of Religion, Franconia College, Franconia, NH.

“Philip's broad knowledge of the publishing industry enables him to help authors avoid the pitfalls that keep many worthy projects from ever seeing the light of day. In particular, he shows respect for authors by explaining his suggestions and listening to their "reasons why." The resulting sense of collaboration fosters creativity, and, working with him, I had the sense that my book was improving before my eyes.
In addition to spotting and proposing hundreds of felicitous small changes in The Rowan Tree, Philip never lost sight of voice, character, and story. He sets his sights, and helps authors set theirs, on creating books that "really matters in people's lives," as he puts it. If there's a better reason for writing and publishing, I can't think of it. For authors who want their books to matter, Philip Turner is your editor.”—Robert W. Fuller, author of the novel The Rowan Tree; Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank; and All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity

“We owe a lot to Philip Turner. It was his vision as a veteran book editor that opened the doors of the publishing world to our first book, COVERT: My Years Infiltrating the Mob. Philip's steady hand through the editing process, many valuable insights, and even-keeled approach made him a pleasure to work with on Covert, eventually named a best book of 2008 by USA Today. We had the opportunity to join forces with Philip again in the past year, this time in his expanded capacity as editor and co-agent for our latest project SURVIVING THE SHADOWS: A Journey of Hope Into Post-Traumatic Stress. His versatility and wisdom in the ways of the publishing industry would be a huge asset to anyone looking for a guiding force and strong ally amid the challenge of bringing a book to life.”—Bob Delaney and Dave Scheiber, co-authors of COVERT and SURVIVING THE SHADOWS.

"We recommend Philip Turner with great appreciation and without hesitation. With Philip's vast experience and stellar track record, we were grateful to find him always engaged in the nitty-gritty of improving our book FROZEN, and empathetic to our needs and fears as writers. As our editor, he was the perfect mix of hard-working and professional yet supportive and nurturing. His expertise and talents greatly improved the language, structure and pacing of the book, all the while remaining faithful to the voice and tone we as authors had originally envisioned. His notes on the craft of storytelling were flawless and his more creative suggestions were inspired. Working with Philip was like taking a master class in editing. Our book and our writing are all the better for the experience." Larry Johnson and Scott Baldyga, authors of FROZEN: My Journey into the World of Cryonics, Deception, and Death (Vanguard Press, Perseus Books, 2009)

Roger Cooper, Vanguard Press, Perseus Books; Sharlene Martin, Sharlene Martin Literary Management; J.P.Leventhal, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; Cynthia Manson, Cynthia Manson Literary Agency; Lynn C. Franklin, Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd.; Paul David Pope; Uwe Stender, TriadaUS Literary Agency; Bob Delaney, NBA referee; John Wright, literary agent; The Honorable Cathy Bailey, US Ambassador to Latvia, 2004-2007; Glenn Lewis, Professor of Journalism, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism; Vincent Romeo, author of MY ITALIAN COUSINS.

THE DEEDS OF MY FATHERS: How My Grandfather and Father Built NY and Created the Tabloid World of Today by Paul David Pope; FROZEN: My Journey into the World of Cryonics, Deception, and Death, Larry Johnson with Scott Baldyga; COVERT: My Years Infiltrating the Mob, Bob Delaney, NBA Referee, with Dave Scheiber, a USA TODAY Best Book of 2008; HAVEN and EXODUS 1947, Ruth Gruber; IBM AND THE HOLOCAUST: The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation, Edwin Black; BOOKNOTES: Life Stories, Brian Lamb; DEAD RUN: The Shocking Story of Dennis Stockton and Life on Death Row in America, Joe Jackson and William Burke, introduction William Styron; A DIARY OF THE CENTURY: Tales from America's Greatest Diarist by Edward Robb Ellis, Introduction by Pete Hamill and THE EPIC OF NEW YORK CITY, Edward Robb Ellis; BASEBALL LETTERS and EVERY PITCHER TELLS A STORY, Seth Swirsky; THE DEVIL IS LOOSE, Antonine Maillet; NOT FOR AMERICA ALONE, Senator George Mitchell; Kodansha Globe (85 title nonfiction trade paperback series including first paperback edition of Barack Obama's DREAMS FROM MY FATHER; series featured anthropology, cross-cultural studies, narrative travel, and adventure classics.

(nonfiction) DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, Barack Obama (first paperback edition, Kodansha Globe, 1996); THE POLITICS OF TRUTH: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Revealed My Wife's CIA Identity, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, in part the basis of the movie "Fair Game" (Carroll & Graf, 2004); LOVER OF UNREASON: Assia Wevill, Sylvia Plath's Rival and Ted Hughes's Doomed Love, Yehuda Koren and Eilat Negev (A Philip Turner Book, Carroll & Graf); ON THE BRINK: An Insider's Account of How the White House Compromised American Intelligence, Tyler Drumheller with Elaine Monaghan (A Philip Turner Book, Carroll & Graf); THE WOMAN WHO WOULDN'T TALK: Why I Refused to Testify Against the Clintons & What I Learned in Jail, Susan McDougal (C&G); SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire (C&G); WRITING WITH INTENT: Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose, 1983-2005, Margaret Atwood; AHMAD'S WAR, AHMAD'S PEACE: Surviving Under Saddam, Dying in the New Iraq, Michael Goldfarb (a NY Times Notable Book, C&G); VIRGINIA WOOLF: The Will to Create as a Woman and AHEAD OF TIME: My Early Years as a Foreign Corrrespondent, Ruth Gruber (both pub'd by C&G), EXODUS 1947: The Ship that Launched a Nation (pub'd by Times Books, 1999, and Union Square Press, 2007), Ruth Gruber; YOUNG J. EDGAR: Hoover, the Red Scare and the Assault on Civil Liberties, BOSS TWEED: The Rise & Fall of the Corrupt Pol Who Conceived the Soul of Modern NY (a NY Times Notable Book), and DARK HORSE: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of James A. Garfield, Kenneth D. Ackerman (all three pub'd by C&G); THE GLORIOUS DECEPTION: The Double Life of William Robinson, the Marvelous Chinese Conjurer, aka Chung Ling Soo, and HIDING THE ELEPHANT: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear, Jim Steinmeyer (both pub'd by C&G); MR & MRS HOLLYWOOD: Edie and Lew Wasserman and Their Entertainment Empire by Kathleen Sharp (C&G); 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon (pub'd by Union Square Press), 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents; and ROTHSTEIN: The Life, Times & Murder of the Criminal Genius who Fixed the 1919 World Series, David Pietrusza (both pub'd by C&G); THE LAST BATTLE, Ralph Wetterhahn (Carroll & Graf); NAPLES '44 and A TOMB IN SEVILLE, Norman Lewis (both pub'd by Carroll & Graf); THE EPIC OF NEW YORK CITY, Edward Robb Ellis (Kodansha America, 1996, Carroll & Graf, 2004); THE ONLY GRANT-WRITING BOOK YOU'LL EVER NEED: Top Grant Writers and Grant Makers Share Their Secrets, Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox.
(fiction) GEORGE & RUE, George Ellliott Clarke (C&G); HUNGER'S BRIDES and SOR JUANA, OR THE BREATH OF HEAVEN, Paul Anderson (C&G); THE REVENANT, Michael Punke (C&G); THE SANDS OF PRIDE and THE FIRES OF PRIDE, William R. Trotter (C&G); THINNER, BLONDER, WHITER, Elizabeth Maguire (C&G); MEMORY BOOK, A Benny Cooperman Detective Novel, Howard Engel (C&G); IN TIME OF WAR, Allen Appel (C&G).

SURVIVING THE SHADOWS: A Journey into Post-Traumatic Stress, Bob Delaney with Dave Scheiber; ECLISPE OF THE RISING SUN: The Air War over the Pacific, 1941-43, Ralph Wetterhahn, author of the Colby-award winner THE LAST BATTLE: The Mayaguez Incident and the End of the Vietnam War (Carroll & Graf, 2000);
CHANGING PLANET, CHANGING HEALTH: How Climate Change Threatens Our Health and What We Must Do About It, Paul Epstein, M.D., Associate Director of Harvard's Center for Health and the Global Environment, and Dan Ferber; AFTER MANY A SUMMER: The Passing of the Giants and Dodgers and a Golden Age in NY Baseball, Robert Murphy; ZERO DAY THREAT: The Shocking Truth of How Banks and Credit Bureaus Help Cyber Crooks Steal Your Money & Identity, Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz; 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies, David Pietrusza; THE LAST LINCOLNS: The Rise & Fall of a Great American Family, Charles Lachman; WAR OF WORDS: A True Tale of Newsprint and Murder, Simon Read; THE BABY THIEF: The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption, Barbara Bisantz Raymond; PRINCE OF DARKNESS--RICHARD PERLE: The Kingdom, the Power, and the End of Empire in America, Alan Weisman; REGRET THE ERROR: How Media Mistakes Pollute the Press and Imperil Free Speech, Craig Silverman, founder of RegretTheError.com; A DIARY OF THE CENTURY, Edward Robb Ellis; THE UNITED STATES v. I. LEWIS LIBBY, edited and with reporting by Murray Waas; RETURN TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: One Family, Three Revolutionaries, and the Birth of Modern China, Yuan-Tsung Chen; "RFK MUST DIE": The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, Shane O'Sullivan; SO WRONG FOR SO LONG: How the Press, the Pundits--and the President Failed in Iraq, Greg Mitchell, Editor of Editor & Publisher; DARK GENIUS: The Influential Career of Legendary Political Operative and FOX News Founder Roger Ailes, Kerwin Swint; MONA LISA'S PAJAMAS: Diverting Dispatches from a Roving Reporter, A. Craig Copetas.

At Carroll & Graf, 2000-2006
AN ALPHABETICAL LIFE: Living It Up In the World of Books, Wendy Werris; THE NUCLEAR SPHINX OF TEHRAN: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran, Yossi Melman and Meir Javedanfar; IBSEN AND HITLER, Steven F. Sage; INVADING MEXICO, Joseph Wheelan; ARTIFICIAL HAPPINESS, Ronald W. Dworkin, M.D.; ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF MAGIC, Milbourne and Maurine Christoper; "WHEN YOU READ THIS THEY WILL HAVE KILLED ME": The Life & Redemption of Caryl Chessman, Whose Execution Shook America; DELIVER THE VOTE: A History of Election Fraud, An American Political Tradition, Tracy Campbell; ODYSSEY OF AN EAVESDROPPER, Martin Kaiser & Robert Stokes; CHURCHILL'S FOLLY, Christopher Catherwood (C&G); I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR: The Interviews of Andy Warhol (C&G); ORDEAL BY SLANDER: The First Great Book of the McCarthy Era, Owen Lattimore (C&G); CELL PHONES: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age, Dr. George Carlo and Martin Schram (C&G); THE SAVVY AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO BOOK PUBLICITY: A Comprehensive Resource--From Building the Buzz to Pitching the Press, Lissa Warren; THE LAST TIME AROUND CAPE HORN: The Historic 1949 Voyage of the Windjammer Pamir, William F. Stark.
(fiction) MOTORCYCLE MAN, George Elliott Clark; THE THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF BEOWULF: Champion of Middle Earth, Brian Thomsen; EAST OF SUEZ, Howard Engel; LUCK, Joan Barfoot.

Founder & President, Philip Turner Book Productions LLC and Publisher of Philip Turner Books
Editorial Director, Vice-President, Union Square Press, Sterling Publishing;
Executive Editor, Editor-in-Chief and Vice President: Carroll & Graf, Philip Turner Books, Thunder's Mouth Press/Avalon Publishing Group;
Executive Editor, Times Books and Crown Publishing/Random House;
Senior Editor and Editor-in-Chief, Kodansha America;
Senior Editor, Prentice Hall Press;
Editor, Macmillan;
Editor, Walker and Company.
As retail bookseller: Under Cover Books, Cleveland, Ohio.
• Chair, Membership Committee, Book Table, publishing industry monthly lunch club.
• Charter subscriber to Publishers Lunch, with dozens of deals posted since its inception
• Guest teacher in CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, nonfiction book-writing course, Jan. 2008-2011.
• Member, PEN America; Personal Democracy Forum; CBC Radio 3
• Presented panel at Book Camp NYC, Dec. 2010 http://bit.ly/dMwD3k
• For journalism and interview see: http://bit.ly/jkLZzB; http://bit.ly/g8Es9j; http://bit.ly/lXy00d;
http://bit.ly/kLbF4D.