Take my manuscript to an agent, straight to publishers, or self-publish?

[SheilaT]

8. You might want to go to a writing conference or two.

Some of them have agents there, and typically they have a lot of very practical information about the entire industry.

There is a great deal of on-line information for you to look at about getting an agent, finding a publisher, and so on. You first of all need to have a good sense of what the market actually is, and to what extent your novel will fit in. How long it? Who is publishing works like that? Who is agenting work like that?

You really need to consider self-publishing as the absolute last resort. I know I haven't read your manuscript, so don't take this personally, but it's been my experience that self-published books are rarely worth reading. They have not had the professional editing that most books need.

You also need to take the kind opinions of friends with a large grain of salt. They'll tend to overlook the sorts of flaws that a publisher or agent would make you fix.

Good for you for completing an entire novel, by the way. It's not easy. And of course do let us know if you get published.