Self-publishing (aka independent publishing) is no longer a sad second choice for authors rejected by agents and traditional publishing houses. Indie publishing is the best choice for most authors whose names are not John Grisham or Stephen King (actually the indie path is even better for them because they have a huge following). You retain control over your work and make all the profit if you publish yourself. With the demise of bookstores, with digital printing via Amazon's KDP, your book can play with every other published book (that's good news and bad news). Nobody cares who the publisher is. They care about a decent read. Write on.