Yearbooks are an important tradition to your schools. They help you provide outstanding quality, exceptional value and will strengthen your position in the school photography business. Critical success comes from being proactive in two main skills: communication and management. Here are a few tips for preparing and managing a successful yearbook season.
Coordinate with your publishing partner
Commit to a publishing partner and be sure that you have all agreements and reservations in place. Many print labs require you to make a reservation so they know when you expect to submit your book, the approximate page and copy counts, and when you need it delivered. In turn they will communicate proper milestones to help you achieve a high-quality publication that is delivered on time. This information will also help them formulate staffing and materials needed to ensure that they are prepared to meet your expectations.
Over communicate with your schools
Communication is one of the most powerful ways to help you and your schools be successful. Know what type of book it will be, how many pages, and who will be designing it – the school or your studio. Set clear tasks and deadlines that lead the project to completion.
If the school is designing their own yearbook, the software license key information and deadline schedule should be sent to the school as soon as the yearbook contact information is set up. The final deadline for the yearbook should at least be four to five weeks prior to the requested delivery date, plus a few extra safety days just in case there is a late submission, shipping delays, or any other unforeseen circumstances. Make sure to clearly communicate the final deadline date and any consequences such as additional production time or late fees.
Yearbook software is often web based and will have a collection of prepared layouts that you or the customer can use to simplify the creation of the yearbook. If your studio is designing the book, you can offer this as an additional fee and set a deadline for any content the school would like placed in the book (photos, panel flows, groups, clubs, etc.) If the school is designing the book, you can log into the project frequently to monitor their progress. If you see that progress is not moving towards completion, you should start to communicate as soon as possible.
Proof the book with your schools
There are many ways to proof a yearbook and you will want to choose a proofing method that will clearly document what the school has approved for publication. We find it best to send initial corrections back and forth electronically, then send the school a printed copy of the book for the final approval.
For the first proof, we provide the school with panel flow pages to verify student images and data for their class. If corrections need to be made, it’s always best to do them before the book is laid out. Then once the school is ready to see the final proof, it is best practice to have a copy of the book printed. Have the school initial and date the cover of the final proof. Some folks also ask that the school initial each page of the proof to verify that they have reviewed and approved every page for submission. Keep a copy of the signed proof for your records to help track any issues that may be identified after it is printed.
Click the link below to learn how to grow your existing schools using H&H’s yearbooks and yearbook resources.