I think it's a great alternative to trade publishing for some authors. I think it's silly only to consider it as a fallback or a plan B - I know lots of writers who chose to self-publish even though trade publishing was available to them, and they make more money that way. I do think a lot of writers probably underestimate the amount of work (and probably money) required in terms of marketing themselves and their books. As the market grows, it becomes less and less likely you'll happen upon something that's been professionally edited and wonderfully written, so differentiation is very important. Overall I think it's a good thing that could maybe benefit from a bit more regulation (but then maybe that would defeat the purpose?).
Women's fiction is a marketing category - I don't define it, book marketers do. Here are some examples:
http://www.booktopia.com.au/books-online/fiction/contemporary-women-s-fiction/cFG-p1.html
I am having a VERY nice birthday, thank you for asking.
True.
I have so many. I spend a lot of time in my memory. I don't think I can pin it down to just one - I don't have a "my wedding day!" or "the birth of my child!" type favourite memory. Lots of my favourite memories end up in my writing, sometimes verbatim, and they're almost always a few moments spent with someone I adore.
Custard tarts!
Definitely! Every workplace I've been in has had a Melbourne Cup sweep (sometimes not optional). I do think it feels like the attitude towards it is shifting, though, do you? My feeds have more "Melbourne Cup is bad!" content this year than ever before.
Yes, but not for many years because horse racing is a dangerous and cruel sport that relies on gambling culture to stay afloat. What's to like?
No, no illustrations. It's a literary fiction book for adults.
I hope it is. Thanks for saying so!
I guess that depends how long the list is. I think it's definitely in the top 100,000 best books of 2016.