Online sales, more manga from Random House?

The New York Daily News reports that Random House CEO Peter Olsen hinted yesterday in a letter to employees that the publisher may begin selling its books direct to consumers via the Internet, and increase the number of manga from its Del Rey imprint.

"We have begun seriously evaluating -- and in some cases preparing business plans -- for many potential initiatives," Olsen wrote.

However, executive vice president Stuart Applebaum told the Daily News that there are no immediate plans for online sales: "The key thing is we're not ruling it out."