What should every yearbook staff be doing at the start of the new school year?

The start of the new school year is rather chaotic at every school. And it can be rather overwhelming not only for rookie advisers but for veterans as well. As we get started again, let me highlight some simple things to consider and do at the beginning...

DON'T GET OVERWHELMED: This is rule #1. Yes, a good yearbook is quite an effort - taking photos, creating pages, selling books, selling ads, etc. Here at the beginning don't look at the whole project at once because your head will start to spin. Start by breaking down the entire project into parts, then break down the parts into smaller parts. For teachers, this should sound like many projects in your regular classes. Follow the same basic plan with your yearbok.

VIEW MY ONLINE VIDEOS: Once again this year I bring you my exclusive online instructional videos designed to offer my expertise and lots of background info anytime you want it, 24/7. I cover lots of basic topics to help advisers and staffs. Please take the time to view them, even as part of a regular yearbook class or certainly as a tutorial.

Here at the start of the new year, the two videos I strongly urge you to view is How to Get Started and How to Create a Great Yearbook Easily. Click on the link in the left column for the complete list of my videos, then click on the link of the video you wish to view. Turn on your speakers, sit back and watch. Rewind or fast forward if you need to. Go back and watch again and again if you wish. I hope my videos help you and your staff create a great book this year.

MAKE YOUR SALES PLAN NOW: Here is something that most advisers put off until later, wanting to concentrate on making pages, learning the computer or other topics. But especially in these days of continuing recession in many areas, tackling your sales issues, making your budget and setting goals for your staff is imperative. Don't wait, start this planning now.

And for my high school advisers, please consider the new and fun sales strategy that I am giving to every staff right now. While financial times are still tough, it IS possible to be successful and I'll show you how.

START WORKING ON YOUR BOOK PLAN: There's plenty of time to jump on the computers and work on pages, what most folks want to do right away. Wait on that. Instead, take the next couple of weeks and thoroughly plan your new yearbook and organize your staff. Who's doing what? What's going where? I've found that staffs who plan well at the beginning have a much smoother effort through the year. Don't just "wing" it, that's a recipe for trouble later.

For staffs who use a theme each year, plan that thoroughly as well. And if you design a custom cover to go along with that theme, NOW is the time to get that cover work done, either on your own or with one of our very talented Jostens artists at the State College plant. Any staff is always welcome to visit the plant for a tour, artist session, time in our libraries for fresh ideas and more, and lunch is always on us. If you can get free for a day, please let me know and we'll setup a date.

START TAKING PICTURES: A yearbook is pretty dull without images, but in my initial visits to schools very few students have told me they've taken even one image so far. It's time to get started because there are plenty of things going on. I hope someone got some shots on the first day of classes, especially pictures of new students as they learn a new system or learn a new building. The fall sports season is getting underway this week - make it a point to go to multiple games for images, not just one game.

Also, make sure your plans with your school's portrait photographer are all set - your photo day, what the photographer needs that day, etc.

We have plenty of time to really get rolling. Take the time now to handle the basics here in the month of September.

Is your yearbook staff using a cool Jostens Yearbook Widget to showcase some of your work, along with including quick links for buying your book or sharing images with you? Below is my own fun yearbook widget - ask me today about how to start yours. It's FREE, easy to use and could bring your yearbook effort some big dividends!