Receiving a Yearbook is a great day for any school and its students. It’s a day to take time out to turn the pages and get signatures and comments from your classmates, teachers and the school faculty. But when exactly is the best time for students and staff to get their yearbooks? Here are a few yearbook distribution ideas:
Option 1:
Right after Spring Break. Depending on when the school year ends, March or April is a good time to hand out yearbooks. This gives students an ideal amount of time to get their fellow classmates and teachers to get signatures and enjoy the book before graduation.
Option 2:
During Exam Week. Finals, no matter at what age is a very stressful time for students. It is also a time when students have a lot more free time then a usual school week. By getting a yearbook during finals week can help break up the stress of the exams and give students something else to do and enjoy when not studying. In addition, there is some free time where they can meet with their peers to get signatures.
Option 3:
Before Graduation. Getting a yearbook during graduation can be an additional excitement that adds to that special day. In one hand they will have a diploma. In the other they will have a brand new yearbook that they can enjoy going into the summer.
No matter when the yearbook is given out, it is one of the top highlights from the school year. Give them out and enjoy the smile on each and every one of the recipient’s faces.
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.
JANUARY – SPRING DELIVERY
• Report and photograph activities and events as they happen
• Meet deadlines and check materials according to the production schedule
• Double-check the progress of the index and make sure that material is accurate; polish and refine the index concept
FEBRUARY – SPRING DELIVERY
• Report and photograph activities and events as they happen
• Meet deadlines according to your yearbook planning schedule
• Have a deadline party
MARCH – SPRING DELIVERY
• Make sure you are on schedule to meet your submission deadline for the yearbook plant—on time yearbook submission assures your book arriving on the date you requested
• Begin compiling yearbook sales lists, and planning a distribution/signing event
• Photograph Spring activities—include all you can in this year’s book; archive the rest for next year’s book, or consider producing a supplement that you can produce this summer, and distribute to students when they return in the fall. (another great fund-raising idea—sell the supplement to raise extra money)
• Start recruiting new prospects for next year’s staff—It will be great help when you return next year
APRIL – SPRING DELIVERY
• Update advertising billing for current volume
• Finalize yearbook sales lists and distribution/signing plans
• Design student-oriented advertising for prospects
• Prepare a reader survey to get immediate student reaction to the book, and use as a tool for preplanning next year’s book
MAY – SPRING DELIVERY
• Distribute books at celebration/signing event; keep notes on any logistical problems
• Conduct and compile results of reader survey
• Complete a staff self-analysis of the yearbook
• Complete final billing of advertisers
• Finalize portrait photography plans for next year
• Conduct an end-of-the-year award banquet for the staff
JUNE – SPRING DELIVERY
• Brainstorm coverage ideas with your staff for the new year
• Make specification decisions pertaining to copies, pages, etc.
• Attend a summer workshop (or two!) to develop theme and section plans, learn new techniques and polish existing skills
• Report and photograph summer activities unique to your students for next year’s book.
• Finalize yearbook sales lists and distribution plans (FALL DELIVERY ONLY).
• Complete final deadline, including last-minute coverage for spring sports, graduation, index
JULY – SPRING DELIVERY
• Launch advertising campaign and develop advertising section
• Follow up on portrait photography plans to make sure you get what you need
• Keep taking summer pictures
• Develop a set of working specifications to use for guided preplanning
TAKE A BREATH BEFORE STARTING OVER AGAIN…next time, it will be easier!
Survival Tip:
Stay in touch with your yearbook provider. He/she will help you in any way
possible.
The best way to plan for the year is by reviewing what needs to be done globally as an adviser and yearbook staff. On the next few pages, you will find a generalized list of activities involving both production and business aspects of the yearbook. Be aware that there are two delivery periods for a yearbook—either May or September. This schedule focuses on a SPRING delivery yearbook.
August – SPRING DELIVERY
• Launch advertising campaign, complete predesign of ads and develop ad section.
• Finalize specifications, cost for the book, agree on how payment for the yearbook will be made, and make sure you have completed the Yearbook Sign-up Form with your yearbook representative.
• Open Yearbook Kit upon arrival and read instruction book included. Mark the DEADLINE DATE FOR SUBMITTING YOUR YEARBOOK to the yearbook plant on your calendar.
• Meet with portrait photographer to understand photo shoot and retake dates.
• Polish and refine theme and section plans for your yearbook.
• Plan a ladder and coverage ideas.
• Initiate back-to-school reporting and photography.
• Take inventory on all software & hardware for the year.
• Design layouts for each section to help photographers and allow for total coverage.
SEPTEMBER – SPRING DELIVERY
• Finalize staff organization & responsibilities
• Set up & maintain complete sports files, & survey clubs to find out their activities
• Assign coverage for all deadlines
• Finalize the ladder
• Report & photograph activities & events as they happen
• Finalize theme use throughout the book
• Close advertising campaign sales & begin production work on the section
• Follow through on portraits
• Plan book sales campaign
• Complete any billing and layout designs for any advertisers
• Review interviewing techniques
NOTE: If you have received FALL DELIVERY Yearbooks, distribute the books.
OCTOBER – SPRING DELIVERY
• Report & photograph activities and events as they happen
• Meet deadlines according to the production schedule
• Finalize the academics and student life spreads
• Finalize portrait photography with retakes completed this month
• Complete theme including cover, endsheets, opening, closing, & dividers
• Make sure each staffer knows the indexing process
• Plan a book sales campaign
NOVEMBER – SPRING DELIVERY
• Report and photograph activities and events as they happen
• Meet deadlines and check materials according to the production schedule
• Complete fall sports coverage and the people section
• Keep up with winter sports
• Plan a book sales campaign
• Finalize plans for the club section and continue work on the student life section
• Have a deadline & Thanksgiving celebration!
DECEMBER – SPRING DELIVERY
• Report and photograph activities and events as they happen
• Meet deadlines and check materials according to the production schedule
• Focus on the club section, remaining sports spreads and final student life coverage
• Plan a book sales campaign and tie it in with the holidays; collect any outstanding balances due on the yearbook
• Plan a book sales campaign and tie it in with the holidays; yearbooks make great holiday gifts. Contact parents with opportunity to purchase a yearbook as a gift for their student
• Keep up with winter sports
• Have a deadline and Holiday party!
