"Iconic editor Sonny Mehta is passing the role of president of Knopf to his long-time colleague Tony Chirico, and will assume a more editorially focused role," reports thebookstandard.com. According to Knopf senior VP Paul Bogaards, "the appointment of a businessman as president has no wider implications for Knopf's culture and focus" and "shouldn't be construed as a sign that Mehta is thinking about retiring."

PW's report (sub req'd) notes another reason for the move: as one insider puts it, "If anything were to happen to Sonny, or if he were to leave, now you have someone else there [as president]."