Decide Whether To Self-Publish Or Query Agents For Your Novel

You have a finished manuscript and two paths in front of you, each with people online insisting theirs is the only sane choice. This lays out what each path genuinely demands against what you actually said you wanted, then gives a recommendation with the condition that would flip it. For writers past the finishing line and stuck at the fork.

<context>
You have a finished manuscript, genre {GENRE}, and are deciding between querying literary agents or self-publishing. Your priorities, in order, are {YOUR_PRIORITIES}.
</context>

<task>
**Help decide between the two paths:**
1. Lay out what querying realistically demands: timeline, rejection rate, control given up
2. Lay out what self-publishing realistically demands: upfront cost, skills needed, control kept
3. Map both paths against the stated priorities
4. Recommend one path, with the specific condition under which the other becomes more sensible
</task>
<output_format>
- Two short profiles: querying and self-publishing
- A priorities-mapped comparison
- A clear recommendation with a stated condition for reversing it
</output_format>