Author Jodi Picoult has landed a 3-book deal with Random House, Inc.’s Ballantine Books imprint. The not-yet-titled first novel will be published in 2014.

Random House Publishing Group president Gina Centrello teamed up with Ballantine Bantam Dell publisher Libby McGuire to negotiate the deal with Laura Gross Literary Agency principal Laura Gross. Ballantine Bantam Dell editor-in-chief Jennifer Hershey will edit the books.

McGuire had this statement in the release: “Jodi’s ability to bring readers together and start conversations about her storytelling is very special. Even with her tremendous success, we believe her growth potential is enormous, and we look forward to bringing her forthcoming fiction to an even larger readership.”

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Janet Evanovich has inked a deal with Random house four more novels in her Stephanie Plum series. She also sold four novels in a series co-authored with Lee Goldberg.

Peter Evanovich negotiated the two deals with Random House Publishing Group publisher Gina Centrello and Ballantine Bantam Dell publisher Libby McGuire and from, the author’s agent. In 2010, Evanovich signed with Ballantine Bantam Dell after working with St. Martin’s Press for 15 years.

Here’s more from the release: “The new Evanovich-Goldberg series will feature FBI agent Kate Winslow and international fugitive Danny Cole and will be a thrilling combination of crime, romance, and adventure. The first in the series is scheduled for publication in fall 2013. The next Plum novel, Notorious Nineteen, will be published this November 20, 2012 and just out now is Wicked Business, the second book in Evanovich’s No. 1 bestselling series starring Lizzy and Diesel.”

Random House executive director of publicity Carol Schneider will retire next month after 32 years at the publisher.

Random House publisher Gina Centrello had this tribute: “In 32 years, from typewriters to tweets, Carol has been a publicity trailblazer for the Random House Group imprints … With sensitivity and wisdom, she has been a devoted friend and booster of the efforts of booksellers across the country, as well as countless print, broadcast, and online journalists, reviewers, and bloggers.”

Schneider began her career in the publicity department of David McKay Publishers. She joined Random House in 1979. She also wrote Fresh: A Greenmarket Cookbook and co-wrote Midnight Snacks: The Cookbook That Glows in the Dark.

Random House editor-in-chief Susan Kamil (pictured) has been promoted to publisher of Random House and Dial Press imprints.

Random House Publishing Group president Gina Centrello wrote in a memo: “Few in our industry match Susan’s skill of identifying and editing literary titles that can cross over into national bestsellerdom … Susan will continue to edit a select number of books a year, including the internationally bestselling Shopaholic series and the stand-alone novels of Sophie Kinsella.”

In addition, Tom Perry has been promoted to deputy publisher at the Random House imprint–he will also serve as publisher of the The Modern Library imprint. Theresa Zoro has been promoted to director of publicity for the entire Random House Publishing Group. Finally, Susan Corcoran has been elevated to director of publicity for Ballantine Bantam Dell.

The complete memo is embedded below.

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It’s been a very strange week for the world’s largest publishing company. First we had Wednesday’s surprise announcement that Crown svp and publisher Steve Ross would be moving to Collins, with Tina Constable stepping in to take his place. Now comes last night’s announcement that Daniel Menaker was jumping ship from Random House‘s eponymous imprint, though it remains to be seen if the party line that the decision was “absolutely mutual” will hold up under scrutiny.

Maybe it’s because the current edition of Publishing Revolving Door takes me on a time warp all the way back to 2003 – ancient history for some, but important history nonetheless. Menaker, after 26 years at the New Yorker, first joined Random House in 1995 and continued uninterrupted there save for a sixteen-month stint at HarperCollins, which ended in 2003. The company he returned to was not the company he left behind. They had moved to sleek new offices in an office condominium between 55th and 56th streets; Ann Godoff was gone in one of the most publicized oustings in recent memory; Little Random had been absorbed in the same umbrella containing Ballantine and its holdings; and at the center of the new-look imprint was, and still is, president and publisher Gina Centrello. Taken together, these were clear signs of the company’s increasingly commercial shift that would play out in a major way over the next four-plus years. And yet Menaker was hired to give Little Random a distinct literary bent, which he did in the form of novelists Benjamin Kunkel, Arthur Phillips, Gary Shteyngart and Jon Clinch as well as former poet laureate Billy Collins, even if said acquisitions didn’t necessarily pay off in terms of sales.

No matter how much Menaker, Centrello and the Random House brass want to downplay the bottom line, it’s difficult to play by their rules in light of the company’s most recent shakeups – not to mention their gutting of the sales force, Bertelsmann‘s attempts to patch up the mothership after getting scared straight by former minority shareholder GBL’s threats to take their holdings public (Bookspan, anyone?) and a downturn in profits. All of which has to make one wonder about the overall health of Random House – and if more “unexpected” news is just lurking around the corner.