LISNews: Librarian News

WWBCD? (What would Bennett Cerf do?)

NYT report: Bertelsmann, the giant German media conglomerate, appointed Markus Dohle, the head of its printing unit, to run the company’s Random House division. Peter W. Olson, the current chief executive of Random House and one of the country’s most powerful figures in publishing, is stepping down from the post.

Peter W. Olson is stepping down as chief executive of Random House.
Mr. Olson will step down May 31 and is in negotiations for a “senior faculty position” at a university “nearby” to Harvard Square, according to a memo sent to employees Tuesday morning.

The appointment of Mr. Dohle, 39, an outsider to the publishing industry, is likely to rattle insiders at Random House and comes at a time when both Random House and the wider publishing industry are suffering from a slowdown.