I went in half-blind and flew by the seat of my pants for most of it, and it's caused a lot of difficulties.
For starters, I painted my own cover but didn't research printing press procedures and CMYK, so I ended up with a lot of problems when I got around to submitting.
I published the ebook with Amazon and signed up for KDP Select, using a 4 day free period right off the bat to get some exposure and maybe a couple of reviews. It worked well in its own way. But signing up for KDP Select means the ebook is exclusive to Amazon for at least 90 days, so I can't upload to Smashwords, B&N, etc. until that 90 days is over.
For the hardback, I went with Ingram Spark, a print-on-demand press with worldwide distribution. I recommend just going paperback instead of hardback, because it's way more cost-efficient and easier to manage. If you want an easier way, go with CreateSpace through Amazon for physical copies. You'll probably never get into B&N that way, but that doesn't make much difference for a self-published author. Amazon is your ticket to success.
I also joined Goodreads and signed up as an author, uploaded my book there. Goodreads is a great resource for getting readers and reviews, especially if you do a giveaway.
I'm still learning as I go, though. There are other ways to get your name out, but don't expect a lot to happen early on. The longer your books are available and the more books you put out, the more you'll be noticed.