To begin your planning process, outline the specifications for your yearbook. This will provide you with an accurate quote of the estimated cost and allow your yearbook publisher to communicate timeframes for any customization or special
order requests.
Specifications to consider:
• Number of copies: You can increase or decrease your final quantity when you submit your production form with your book. (Note: quantity changes may change the price of your yearbook. To be conservative, plan for 50% of the student body population.)
• Number of pages: You must work in increments of 4 pages (final count divisible by 4), unless you are ordering a Smyth sewn book. Smyth sewn books must be ordered in increments of 16 pages. If graphics/text do not fill all pages or count is short, blank pages will be added to the back of the book.
• Type of yearbook cover: Soft or hard cover; stock (pre-designed) or a custom design; special treatments; etc.
• Type of yearbook pages: Full color or black and white (full color is your BEST BUY!); paper weight; special uncoated autograph pages; etc.
• Yearbook Delivery Date: When you want your yearbook to arrive at your school (make sure to note holidays and school breaks.
• Proofs: If you desire a printed proof, it may increase cost and add delivery time.
• Options: Additional customization and personalization options are available upon request.
As you decide your yearbook specs, reference what has been done in the past. If you can get a copy of last year’s yearbook and the invoice, you can review specs and decide what you liked or would like to change. If it’s your first year, contact your publisher to be walked through what other schools are doing or to get advice on what might work best for your school.
Tip: Use a copy of last year’s yearbook to determine if the number of pages were adequate in capturing your school year and representing the student population.
Finance managers typically have to do or assign someone to the following tasks, along
a completion deadline for each item:
• Balance the yearbook budget
• Develop and implement a plan for yearbook sales
• Develop and implement a plan for advertisement sales (if applicable)
• Develop and implement, if necessary, a plan for fundraising
• Track all sources of income
• Manage and track production and operation expenses
• Promote and sell yearbooks to the school population and parents
• Fund-raise if necessary and more!
Choosing Your Team
Creating a yearbook can be a monumental process. An organized team can help you manage deadlines and milestones so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming. There are about six basic responsibilities in most staffs, but how you organize your staff to best meet
your style of management is up to you.
Depending on how large or small a team you have available for your yearbook staff, there may be one or two people with the same responsibility, or one person responsible for many areas. Below is a breakdown of some of the most common responsibilities:
• Overall Yearbook Production
• Finance, Marketing & Sales
• Design
• Pagination
• Reporting
• Photographing
Training
Most students have not had experience running a business, marketing, selling or
creating a product within a specified deadline. Returning yearbook staff members
could be used in key leadership positions to assist in the management and training
of new members.
To train new students, identify senior-level students or teachers with skill sets
that translate into yearbook creation and sales. Set up times where tutorials and
teaching sessions can be run for things like desktop publishing, yearbook software,
photography, writing, sales and marketing.
Of all the positions in the yearbook staff, the most important one to fill is the
business manager role. Learning sales and marketing, as well as the tracking and
reporting of both advertisement and book sales revenue, will probably require the
most amount of work. If you are going to put a student in charge, ask your fellow
colleagues to recommend a student who might do well in this role or look for a
student who may have taken accounting, business or marketing classes.
It’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s yearbook. That’s because events you may want to include happen all year long. When you start planning in advance you have a greater chance of creating a book that everyone is a part of. So take advantage of the great resources we offer as you design, create, manage and sell your yearbook—starting with this planning guide!
In here you’ll find tips, suggestions, examples and snapshots that will help you start brainstorming, organizing and designing the ultimate yearbook for your school!
Every school is different…some schools have a yearbook class that includes the creation and sale of the yearbook, while others have a group of students that meet outside of class or before and after school. Some even have just one faculty or parent volunteer handling it all. Whatever the case may be, our guide will help you organize your team so you know exactly what (and who) you’ll need to create a great yearbook – even if that team is just you!
Roles Defined
As the yearbook adviser, you have been chosen to be the project manager of the publication. As project manager, your primary responsibilities lie in two areas:
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT (the creation of the yearbook) and
FINANCE MANAGEMENT (the sales and finances of the yearbook).
Production managers (sometimes called “Editor in Chiefs”) usually have
to do or assign someone to the following tasks, along with a completion
deadline for each item:
• Decide what will go onto each page
• Photograph key school events
• Write headlines, stories, and captions
• Choose a cover design
• Choose page designs
• Choose type/text/font specifications
• Troubleshoot production issues
• Establish design custom page design
• Review/proofread page designs and stories
• Complete pages in a timely manner (if applicable)
• Complete advertisement pages
• Work with your yearbook representative
• Work with your school photographer
• Work with club sponsors and coaches for photos and more!
YEARBOOK PLANNING TIP:
Student Editor in Chiefs are often your natural leaders who motivate and empower their peers. A student editor who has the most design experience might not necessarily be the best fit for “Editor in Chief”, but would be a great “Creative Team” leader. This would allow him or her to focus his or her strength in design vs. project management.
YEARBOOK PLANNING TIP:
Don’t overlook possible professional assistance from your portrait photography studio and the customer service and technical support teams of your yearbook publisher. They
can be great resources to share examples of what has worked for other schools.
Develop a small focus group of students that represents everyone on campus. Pass
ideas by them if you do not have a student staff to rely on for input. What adults find
appealing versus what students
find appealing can be different.
If you wish to raise additional revenue for your yearbook, you may wish to consider offering advertisement space to businesses and recognition space to students, clubs and families. It is amazing the amount of revenue you can raise from one page in your yearbook. Many schools offer space to families, club sponsors, businesses, homeroom teachers, students, etc.
Developing an advertising program for your yearbook can be easy if you have a plan that includes:
- Identifying your potential audience for purchasing advertising space
- Determining ad sizes, guidelines, and rates,
- Creating effective ad sales campaigns, including collection methods.
Identifying Your Potential Audience
Before getting started, identify your potential audience for purchasing advertisement space. You have several distinct buyers: local businesses, school vendors, families, students, club sponsors, teachers, and coaches to name a few. How you pursue each audience may be different.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Local Businesses: These businesses are typically located near the school or in the district. They usually include insurance companies, banks or financial institutions, restaurants, real estate agents, mechanic shops, car dealers, and fast food establishments. Remind these potential advertisers that an ad in a yearbook will be seen for years because yearbooks are saved for a long time.
School Vendors: These businesses are on the school vendor list and do some sort of business with the school/district. Your purchasing office should have a list of contacts and their addresses.
Families: These buyers want to recognize their children for their accomplishments throughout their school years. Many photos will probably accompany their ad as well as words of praise.
Students: These buyers want to recognize their friendships on campus. Many photos will probably accompany their ad as well as words of celebration.
Club Sponsors: These buyers want to recognize their club officers or overall organization. Some photos will probably accompany the ad as well as words of appreciation.
Teachers: These buyers want to recognize a fellow colleague’s retirement or accomplishments. Some photos will probably accompany the ad as well as words of congratulations.
Coaches: These buyers want to recognize their teams or team captains for their accomplishments. Some photos will probably accompany the ad as well as words of encouragement.
As you can see, you have quite a few audiences of buyers. As you develop a plan of communication, make sure to clearly state your offer to each buyer and include a rate card for the cost of an advertisement and a yearbook as well. Consider developing a rate card/brochure for all prices as well as three to five basic layout designs for all ads. This will help your buyers make a better decision. Also consider offering discount coupons with expiration dates to all buyers during your sales campaign. This may be the driving force to help some people purchase ad space. Remember, everyone loves a deal.
At long last, after months of anticipation and hard work leading up to yearbook delivery, the day comes when you can distribute the school’s yearbook with pride!!! Here are more idea to consider when planning for this special day:
1. How will you distribute the book and how will students be notified of its availability?
• Will books be delivered to each homeroom in a way that ensures that each student that ordered a book gets one?
• Will there be designated pick-up times that students are asked to pick up their yearbooks in a central or convenient area of the school?
• If you decided to create and publicize a signing party to coincide with the yearbook delivery day, are you prepared for it? After many months of curiosity, kids are especially anxious to see the book and, of course, never want to miss an opportunity to socialize with their friends!
2. Depending on the book distribution method you choose, how will you keep track of
who has received their book and who hasn’t to ensure everyone has received what they paid for?
• This is where it’s critical to have a detailed tracking mechanism (either manually
or computerized) that allows you to quickly find and record each student who is given their yearbook. It’s helpful to have the yearbook distribution list sorted and available in a multitude of ways so you can easily find the purchaser’s name and check them off the list.Common sorting methods include alphabetical by last name, grade or homeroom.
3. You’ll also want to make sure that you have a method of tracking any additional sales that are made once the yearbook is delivered (versus the advance sales) since many others will want to order a yearbook after seeing it!
4. Regardless of whether you’re distributing a book that was ordered in advance or ordered on the spot, it’s critical that you collect the money prior to handing over the yearbook to the purchaser. Otherwise, it’s too hard to collect the money afterwards.
5. Once the mad rush of book distribution is over, it’s crucial that you reconcile your
records to ensure that every person who ordered a yearbook received what they paid
for. If for some reason, someone paid and didn’t get their yearbook as a part of your
normal distribution process, you’ll want to make alternate arrangements right away to
get it to them. Hopefully, it’ll be easy enough to track them down in school without
having to locate them over the summer or fall. It’s also important that all money
collected be kept in a safe place.
