News Corp says HarperCollins CEO resigning

By Robert Macmillan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide Chief Executive Jane Friedman is resigning, parent company News Corp said on Wednesday, making her the second book publishing executive to quit in recent weeks as financial pressures weigh on the industry.

Friedman's decision to quit HarperCollins was her own, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Friedman did not respond to a request seeking comment.

The news was first reported by New York media gossip blog Gawker.com.

Friedman's replacement will be Brian Murray, president of HarperCollins Worldwide, News Corp said in a statement.

The appointment is effective immediately, the company said.

Friedman's departure was hastened by the Gawker report, the source said, adding that Friedman was planning to leave before her contract came up for renewal. "It was her chance to leave on top," the source said.

"Jane has been a terrific leader who succeeded in attracting some of the world's most brilliant authors while, at the same time, delivering record-breaking profits," News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said in a statement. "We are enormously grateful for her contributions over the past 10 years and understand her desire to seek new challenges at this point in her career."