Wow... The best (and most difficult) is to get a literary agent and then get published by one of the big houses. Okay, but what's the most feasible and also respectable for us mortals? There are 100s of traditional small presses that don't require agents and also don't ask you to pay for the privilege; many have niche focuses, while many others are generalists. The NYTimes today has an Opinion piece about the importance and growth of university presses, in particular. (Of course I'm a big fan of university presses, since a university press has published both of my novels!)

I hope this helps. Thanks for being part of my AMA.