BOL, the world's second largest online bookseller, is seen as a natural fit for Amazon and, according to reports, the two companies have held preliminary discussions about a sale. BOL has been valued at €2.1bn (£1.3bn).
Bertelsmann could also withdraw further funding from Napster, the online music-swapping service it bought in May. Napster is due to come out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but without further funding from Bertelsmann it is likely to close.
The sea change at Bertelsmann follows the departure of CEO Thomas Middelhoff in July. Middelhoff had favoured integrating Bertelsmann's book, music and magazine interests, which include Random House, BMG and Gruner & Jahr, and BOL.com would have been at the head of this restructure. Middelhoff was replaced by Gunter Thieslen as chairman and CEO.
BOL is part of Bertelsmann's DirectGroup, which also includes book club Book Club Associates. According to reports, a spokesman said: "We are looking into strategic options for all ventures, successful as they are, that are not part of our immediate core business."
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