1. I find conferences on https://edas.info/rssConferences.php and then use my country's national ranking lists to figure out whether it's a good one https://www.tsv.fi/julkaisufoorumi/haku.php?lang=en, here, a score of 1 or better is worth submitting to.

2. I don't think "top publications" like found in http://csrankings.org/ turn down submissions because it's from an independent author. Instead, it would be harder because you are working alone. Now, you need more time, nobody is steering or affecting your opinions what is currently relevant, and nobody is giving you a fresh pair of eyes to identify your own biases. That's hard.