Book Festivals & Community Events: The 21st annual Decatur Book Festival returns Oct. 2-3 with 80+ authors, free programming, and a downtown street fair Oct. 3 featuring 125 exhibitors. Local Literary Calendar: Suffolk’s October lineup includes a poetry evening and the Ipswich Book Festival (Oct. 2-4), plus a Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival (Oct. 8-11). Indie & Publisher Moves: Macmillan Children’s Books signs Lisette Auton’s middle-grade series; Quarto’s adult publishing director Denise Bates steps down; Oni Press launches a Kickstarter for “Adventure Time Deluxe Comics Library” with Kickstarter-exclusive slipcase volumes. AI & Publishing Rights: A class action settlement tied to Anthropic’s AI training pays authors and publishers $1.5B, but critics say it sidesteps the bigger question of whether AI can use created work without pay. Digital/Library Impact: Greater Victoria’s little free library network hits 150,000 books delivered, including a new Indigenous title published by Medicine Wheel Publishing. New Releases & Adaptations: “Verity” reviews continue to split audiences as the Colleen Hoover adaptation hits theaters; Goodreads highlights include Min Jin Lee’s “American Hagwon.” Awards & Recognition: Arizona Highways wins 23 IRMA awards for writing, photography, design, and digital content. Book Sales for Causes: AAUW’s Rapid City sale runs Oct. 16-18 to fund scholarships and local nonprofits.