Bertelsmann Seeks Partner to Buy Penguin Random House

European media giant Bertelsmann (BTGGg.F) is looking for a private equity partner to help it buy the rest of publisher Penguin Random House should co-owner Pearson (PSON.L) want a swift exit from the business, three sources told Reuters.

Privately owned Bertelsmann controls 53 percent of the publisher of bestsellers such as the Fifty Shades series and Lee Child's Jack Reacher thrillers.

Announced in 2012, the venture brought together two of the biggest names in book publishing, with the Penguin imprint and logo a familiar sight on bookshelves around the English-speaking world.