Lol. That's a big question, JP, but not an uncommonly asked one. However, without going TOO long, here are a few pointers.
1) You've got the right idea. You have to write consistently. When I started out, I was told by someone (don't even remember who...) that your first five books are generally terrible. Now, I don't necessarily believe this is true. However, every author I've known who's finished two books has found that the FIRST one, at least, was terrible. (Back me up here, Fell, HoM.)
The first book is often something of a train wreck. It usually has good ideas, but when you start, you have no concept of pacing. The book will wander, and its feel/plot will get warped and bent out of shape as your writing ability improves dramatically--which it will, if you're writing every day and plugging away at that first book.
So, my first--and most important--piece of advice is to get that first book out of your system. Don't worry if it isn't progressing how you want, just get it written! You can always come back and fix it. My first book, WHITE SAND, was absolutely horrible. However, I rewrote it as my eighth book, and that time it was pretty good. (This is the version people on this forum have read.)
2) You don't need to worry about marketing yourself until you've written that first book, and preferably your second as well. HoM's first sale was his second book, I believe.
Once you have that first book, it's time to start attending cons and making connections. It took me four years of con-attending to finally make a sale. However, you need to start going early because you'll need to build your professional and networking skills, as well as give yourself time to get comfortable at the cons.
3) Make certain you're well-read in the genre. This should be a no-brainer, but I've seen most authors include it in their 'how do I get published?' FAQs. If you don't know what SF/F is doing, you won't be able to market yourself very well.
4) Learn to understand your writing style. Identify what you do well, and focus your books around it. Identify what you do poorly, and don't focus your books around it (but try and work on it and improve at it.)