While POD is the best way to produce small quantities of a book, offset printing yields by far the greatest economy of scale and can produce a more professional-looking product.
There are many active organizations and discussion groups and useful newsletters to help you with your writing, marketing and publishing. Here's a list:
The design of your book's cover and text is critical to its perception by readers as a quality book. Such design, if done correctly, will require a significant investment, but it is a one-time cost that will pay off handsomely in terms of sales and your reputation as an author/publisher.
