I suppose the first thing you can do is realize how little of the process is in your control.

No, I shouldn't say that--quite a bit of the process is in your control, to be quite honest. If you write a great book, I firmly believe you'll eventually find a publishing home. I can tell you this: Read a lot. Write a lot. Don't even think about revising what you have until you have a first draft in the can. Also, contacts can certainly help you, so join a local writing group and other professional associations. (I'm a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers and International Thriller Writers, and I frequent the online communities at Zoetrope Studios, writers.net, Faith*in*Fiction, and Absolute Write, as well as social networks such as MySpace and ShoutLife, along with my own forums.) Go to a few conferences. Above all, write because you enjoy it.