Since I am not an agent, nor an editor, I cannot read manuscripts, sell them, nor acquire them. If you want to be traditionally published, I can tell you what I did, and what I would recommend. This was my incredibly sophisticated process. 

1) I Googled "how to get a book published."
This Google search was done in 2010, and I'm sure the results will be different, and hopefully even more refined, now. My main takeaway from that search was "You need to get a literary agent."

2) I Googled "how to get a literary agent."
Again, the search results will, surely, be vastly improved now. There are numerous lists of the Top However Many Literary Agents, and these should appear in your search results. The best way to narrow down your choices for agents to query is to read the Acknowledgments section of books you enjoy, in your preferred genre, and create a spreadsheet of the agents/agencies you’ll need to query.

3) I Googled "how to write a query."
Ah, the Query. The query is what you send to literary agents to pique their interest in what you've written. Learning to write a great query is something of an art form, and you would be wise to take the advice of Agent Janet Reid. She has given generously of her time, expertise and experience in the name of helping writers craft The Query. Read the archives of her Query Shark blog. She also offers invaluable advice at Janet Reid Literary [Janet passed away April 14, 2024. I am so grateful to have had a connection with her. She left behind a wonderful legacy and will be greatly missed.] Jessica Faust at Bookends Literary is another agent who gives generously of her time, expertise and experience. I also highly recommend Nathan Bransford’s website. He is a published author, a professional editor, and a former literary agent, and offers a wealth of insight, information, and entertaining posts.

4) Regular perusal of these websites: Writer's Digest, Publishers Weekly.

5) Read books about writing by successful, prolific authors: ON WRITING by Stephen King, BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott, and more...(but these are the ones I've read). Betsy Lerner, a former-editor-turned-literary-agent, gives insider advice in THE FOREST FOR THE TREES, which I also recommend.

IF YOU LOVE WRITING - DON’T LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE IDEA OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING. It can be so frustrating and discouraging trying to find the right agent, and then for that agent to find the right publisher for your book. Self-publishing used to have a weird stigma around it, but that has changed. Making a living from it can be an enormous undertaking, but if you really just love to write, and would like to see your manuscript finished and wrapped up in a nice cover, try it out. I consider myself a hybrid-author now, and self-published my suspense series, and had the absolute best time doing it. I designed the covers myself, and was able to publish the novels much more quickly than the traditional route would have taken them. It was incredibly satisfying, and I love those books just as much as the two that were traditionally published. Maybe more.

Different writers will have different advice, so find what resonates with you, and good luck!