Simon & Schuster Publishing Chief Fired by Viacom : Executives: The ouster of Richard Snyder, who led the firm to U.S. dominance, is a surprise. Company source cites ‘stylistic differences.’

In a surprise move that shocked and angered many in the publishing world, Viacom Inc. on Tuesday fired Richard E. Snyder, the legendary head of its Simon & Schuster publishing division.

Viacom gave no reason for Snyder’s ouster, which apparently came as a surprise to the publishing executive. Snyder could not be reached for comment, but a company source attributed the dismissal to “stylistic differences.”

“It’s not a strategic issue, it’s a question of how things should be done,” the source said. “Dick’s been doing this a long time, and it’s easier to make a change than to teach an old dog new tricks.”

During his three decades at Simon & Schuster, Snyder, 61, led the company through a series of bold acquisitions and internal expansion, building it into the largest publishing company in the country.

A tough, sometimes controversial figure known for an autocratic style but respected for injecting modern business principles into what had been a stodgy gentleman’s industry, Snyder survived despite a bitter feud with his longtime boss, former Paramount Communications Inc. Chairman Martin Davis.

He is being succeeded by Jonathan Newcomb, formerly president and chief operating officer at Simon & Schuster and a self-described protege of Snyder’s.

The change should squelch speculation that Viacom might sell the publishing unit to help pay down the debt from its $10-billion acquisition of Paramount earlier this year. If a sale were in the offing, Snyder might have led a management buyout, and his presence would have been reassuring to any prospective buyer.

Simon & Schuster recently completed the purchase of Macmillan Publishing Co. and has revenue of nearly $2 billion. In addition to the publishing imprint of the same name, it owns Prentice Hall, Pocket Books and the educational software firm Computer Curriculum Corp.

Although he remained publicly neutral during the fight for control of Paramount, Snyder privately favored the bid from Barry Diller’s QVC Network Inc., sources said. QVC might well have spun off the publishing division, and Snyder’s poor relationship with Davis--who sought the Viacom deal--may have helped push him into Diller’s camp.

While Snyder had his share of enemies in the publishing business, he also gained the respect of many authors, editors and agents, as well as competitors. And they sprung to his defense Tuesday.

“It’s inexplicable to all of us in the business,” said Morton L. Janklow, a prominent literary agent. “What they have in mind I can’t begin to imagine. It’s a great loss for publishing, a great loss for the authors.”

Harold Evans, president and publisher of the trade group at Random House, called Viacom’s action “appalling.”

“It’s pretty shocking that someone would be treated like that by people who have been in the business for about three minutes,” he said.

Many Simon & Schuster employees were said to be angry about the move, but there was also some relief that rumors about a sale of the company might now cease.

Sources indicated that there was no open clash between Snyder and Viacom’s two key decision makers, Chairman Sumner Redstone and President and Chief Executive Frank Biondi. Snyder had tried to renegotiate his contract, but that was not the crucial issue, the sources said.

Rather, it appears that Redstone and Biondi were unwilling to let Simon & Schuster operate as a more or less independent fiefdom, and didn’t believe it could be brought tightly under their wing with Snyder still in charge.

The company had a great deal of autonomy under Paramount, and its success led Davis to keep Snyder at the helm despite deep personal animosity between the two.

Newcomb, 47, acknowledged that “Dick has a lot of friends, a lot of people who think highly of him,” but in an interview he stressed Simon & Schuster’s many opportunities.

He said the company will move aggressively to exploit opportunities opened up by new technologies, including pushing traditional book products into other media. Snyder had long stressed a similar strategy, making Simon & Schuster the most aggressive “modernizer” in the business.