With regards to when the tourney happen in the fusion schedule: Not always at the start. I would bank on it varying from fusion to fusion. 

And yes, ascensions/books only count for points in the Champ Training Tournament, not Event.

Those are both good sources of points during CvC, but unless you're further along in the game and/or have a giant stockpile of resources prioritizing fusions will likely be your best bet.

@dthorne04 gave a grest response. I will add that at my level, I almost always apply books during cvc pr.  The value there is well over their value in training tournaments.

i try to keep track of who I want to book, and try to wait till cvc pr to do so.  The points I personally get during training events is of no consequence for fusions.