Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a class action lawsuit brought by authors who accused the AI company of copyright infringement.

• This settlement is the first of its kind in the US and covers an estimated 500,000 copyrighted materials, which Anthropic previously admitted to pirating in order to train its large language models.
• Authors whose work is included in the class action will receive about $3,000 per book.
• The deal is a welcome victory after authors suffered a major blow in June, when a California federal judge ruled that AI companies could use copyrighted works without authors’ permission as long as they were legally acquired.

Many authors have been dismayed in recent days to discover that their publishers failed to register their copyrights. Need to check your copyright? Do that here.

Up next: Authors Grady Hendrix and Jennifer Roberson have literally followed suit with a class action alleging that Apple "copied protected works without consent and without credit or compensation" to train its own LLMs. We’ll be watching for similar actions against Meta, OpenAI, and Google. – RS

Noted Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is back in The Secret of Secrets, Dan Brown’s first novel in eight years. This time around, he’s taking on nothing less than the nature of human consciousness. 

Where else is there to go, really, when you’ve already exposed the origins of human life and revealed the secret of the Holy Grail? 

Also hitting shelves today: 

• A dishy and vulnerable memoir about love, addiction, and recovery from the author of Eat, Pray, Love
• A novel about polyamory and how we live now from a National Book Award-nominated writer
• A page-turning psychological thriller about a young woman who agrees to be a surrogate for a wealthy couple in Japan
• The deluxe limited edition adult speculative debut from a beloved YA author

Pursue your purpose in sustainable and stylish fashion from prAna. Grab your next read and curl up in unbelievably soft joggers made from recycled materials, and enjoy free shipping on all orders.

This newsletter isn’t the only thing Book Riot is launching today. We’re thrilled to introduce our new podcast, Zero to Well-Read, which aims to be the literary cocktail party of your dreams. 

We kicked things off with that English class staple The Great Gatsby, which 1) really holds up, and 2) totally should have been called Crazy Rich Caucasians. That wasn’t an alternate title, but Fitzgerald had some doozies.

Can you identify which of these was not a real rejected title? 

1. The High-Bouncing Lover
2. The Emerald Hour
3. Trimalchio in West Egg
4. Among the Ash Heaps and Millionaires

Answer in the endnotes.

There are tons of new books vying for your attention every month, so we’ve developed a highly scientific vibes-based assessment technique. The ideal It Book rings four bells:

🔔 Art – Is it good?

🔔 Acclaim – Will it contend for awards and best-of lists?

🔔 Sales – Where’s the money?

🔔 Zeitgeist – What’s the buzz?

September is absolutely stacked with bangers. Listen as we play a knockout round with the 10 It Books of the month.

For readers who like to roam. Cariuma’s sustainably made sneakers are perfect for bookstore browsing and city strolls. High quality, low environmental impact, responsibly sourced, and timelessly stylish. Free shipping on orders over $50.

Big day for Austenites as The Folio Society unveils its limited-edition box set of the complete novels of Jane Austen. Sporting covers woven from delicate silk and cotton, gilded edges, and a ribbon bookmark, the novels are also accompanied by new introductions, including one from Elena Ferrante. 

The limited editions are on sale today for $1,250. Only 750 sets available. May your shopping efforts succeed.

If you’ve ever attended a book festival, you know it can be overwhelming. Between panels, talks, signings, exhibitions, and just regular old browsing, there’s a lot to take in. And if you haven’t been, it can be hard to know how to prep. Amanda Bullock, Senior Artistic Director at Literary Arts in Portland, Oregon, talked to me about their upcoming event, The Portland Book Festival, and shared a few tips for getting the most out of reader bonanzas like this.

Make a plan. “Pick a couple things that are a priority. You will probably have to spend time to make sure you can get into those things. Like ‘I love this author. I am gonna leave time to get my book signed after and know I can’t like rush to the next event.’ So pick like a couple things that are your one or two most important things." 

Be willing to change your plan. “Go to that thing that looks interesting that you actually don’t know much about. Spend some time for, or allow space for that serendipity and that discoverability. The most delightful moments for me have often been when I discover a writer or work or things that are new to me. I think that’s something that a festival can offer that you’re much less likely to go to. I think most people are less likely to go to a bookstore reading of something. But you’re already at the festival."

It’s ok to bail on a panel or talk you are not enjoying. “If you don’t like it, you can just leave. Go spend that time trying something else."

Take a break: “Our venue is right downtown next to a bunch of food trucks. Go out for an hour. The Portland Book Festival is in the Portland Art Museum and the ticket includes admission, so you could look at some art for a while and come back.”

And here’s one bit of advice from me:

Bring a friend. They don’t have to be a huge reader. Cover their ticket and spend the day. See what they are interested in and check that out. I bet you’ll enjoy yourself more with a buddy. – JO

_________________

The Portland Book Festival is November 8th and tickets are available here. The author lineup is packed, including Rebecca Yarros, Susan Orlean, Katie Kitamura, Stacey Abrams, Omar El Akkad, Jess Walter, and many, many more. 

Fuel your mind and your body. Thrive Market brings you wholesome pantry staples, fair-trade coffee, and planet-friendly goods so you can settle in with a great story, no grocery trip required. $20 off your first order with a new annual membership.

🧣 Grab your current read and curl up with this gorgeous, super-soft throw blanket made from 100% lambswool.**

📖 Browse all the book recommendations from guests on the Ezra Klein show

✅ Explore a history of The New Yorker ‘s fact-checking department

🔥 Watch Margot Robbie & Jacob Elordi in the trailer for Wuthering Heights from Saltburn creator Emerald Fennell

🧛‍♀️ Stream the Twilight Saga movies back-to-back in a free 24/7 marathon, this week only.

_{**This is a product recommendation from the Book Riot team. When you buy through these links, we may earn a commission.}

🍸 Trivia answer : The Emerald Hour was not a rejected title for The Great Gatsby. Let me save you a Google about the other real options: Trimalchio was a character who threw lavish parties in Satyricon, a work of fiction by Petronius in first-century Rome.

Written by Rebecca Schinsky and Jeff O’Neal. Thanks to Vanessa Diaz for copy editing.

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