Carole Baron, who left Bantam Dell in the shuffle that put Dell/Delacorte under the direction of Bantam, is to be president of Dutton. Her appointment, which takes place the week after Labor Day, was announced by Phyllis Grann, president of Penguin Putnam, Dutton's parent company.

Baron spent 12 years at the helm of Dell/Delacorte, in what was then BDD, publishing a large number of highly successful authors such as John Grisham, Danielle Steel, Thomas Harris, Nicholas Evans, Elmore Leonard, Judy Blume, Sara Paretsky, Maeve Binchy and Belva Plain, several of whom she personally edited. Earlier in her career, Baron was executive editor at Dutton and also held posts at Holt, Pocket Books and Crown, where as editor-in-chief she first published Jean Auel.

Her new appointment has created some shifts in the Penguin Putnam team. Susan Petersen Kennedy, president of Viking Penguin, has been promoted to chairman of Viking Penguin, Plume and Studio Books, while remaining publisher of Riverhead, an imprint she created five years ago, and executive v-p of Penguin Putnam. Her place as president of Viking Penguin, Plume and Studio will be taken by Clare Ferraro, formerly president of Dutton and Plume, who will report to her.

Grann told PW that Baron joining the company was the latest in three moves that had made her "very happy." She cited the hiring of Marian Wood from Holt, the recent acquisition of Avery Publishing (News, Aug. 23), which, she said, she "had been pursuing for years"; and now the arrival of Baron. "We'd been talking to her about the possibility of an imprint," Grann explained. "Then Susan and Clare came up on their own with the notion to move around to create a great spot for her. So the great thing is now everybody's happy." Grann said that the various changes "will help us become the most competitive house in town."

Baron also expressed her delight at the move, declaring: "I can't wait to get back into action. I think Dutton is a hot house, and I hope to make it even hotter." She noted that she has worked with all the executives in the team before. "I've long admired Phyllis for the incredible list of authors she and her team have put together. This is the perfect fit for me."