Latest trade news from The Bookseller

HC appoints Fiona Allen as communications director Fiona Allen has been appointed as the new communications director for HarperCollins Publishers UK, following Susanna Frayn’s decision to step down after 13 years with the company. Allen worked for Waterstones for eight years, most recently as head of brand communications, and will start her new role in January 2015. Daily Telegraph wins English PEN quiz A team from the Daily Telegraph has won the English PEN Quiz for the second year in a row, narrowly beating the team from HarperCollins after a tie-breaker. The 13th annual fundraiser took place last night (11th November) at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London. Hodder signs crime from MeyerHodder and Stoughton has signed three new novels by South African crime writer Deon Meyer. Publisher Nick Sayers acquired UK and British Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from literary agent Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann. The first book in the contract, Icarus, will feature Meyer’s popular harassed detective Benny Griessel. The following novel, Fever, will be a standalone thriller. H&S bags Bake-Off rightsHodder & Stoughton has signed a two-year deal for exclusive publishing rights for "The Great British Bake Off" programme with producer Love Productions. The GBBO branded books, including The Big Book of Baking by Linda Collister and Christmas by Lizzie Kamenetzy, have previously been published by Random House imprint BBC Books.