End of the Year Yearbook Resources

The year is starting to wind down, but that doesn’t mean your yearbook process stops! We’ve gathered some end-of-the-year resources your yearbook staff can use in March, April, May, June and beyond.

Finish the Year Strong

From celebrations to training next year’s staff, there’s plenty you can do at the end of the year!

• We couldn’t put together a list of end-of-the-year resources for yearbook without mentioning Jim Jordan’s excellent eBook, Jim Jordan’s 40 Things to do After the Yearbook is Done. He leans on his 35 years as a yearbook adviser and the meaningful relationships he’s forged with other yearbook advisers for the dozens of projects and activities shared in his book. Plus, you don’t have to wait until your book is done for all of these – some of them can be started any time!
• There’s a webinar to go with Jim’s eBook!
• Your yearbook staff worked hard all year and deserves recognition. Use Let’s Have Some Fun. The Book is Done! to plan your yearbook celebration.

Distribution

You worked hard on your book. It deserves the best distribution possible!

• Learn the dos and don’ts for a great distribution day! The tips in Distribution Day: The Big Reveal will teach your staff how to smoothly deliver the yearbook while having a great (and hopefully fun) experience!
• Do you think of your yearbook as a love letter to your school? You should! Lisa Wallace and Mike Taylor cover how to prepare for distribution day in the webinar, “Yearbook Distribution: Distributing your love letter to the school.”
• Make it a party!

Knowledge is Power

This is the perfect time to increase your staff’s knowledge base. Have them browse yearbook resources and make plans to attend a workshop or Elite Weekend!

• If you staff has some down time, make the most of it by reviewing Media Law and Ethics for Yearbook Journalists. Because you can never be too savvy when it comes to journalism ethics. You can also use it to prep for a class discussion.
• Questions about why you should attend a workshop? Sabrina Schmitz, CJE, and Mike Taylor, CJE, answer them in their webinar, “Why Workshops Work: The Secret of a Successful Yearbook Staff.”
• Look out for your copy of Idea File We’ve got an article in the upcoming issue about why middle school staffs should attend workshops!

Review Your Methods

Just because it’s always been done that way, doesn’t mean it always should. Now is a good time of year to take a look at your methods. What’s working and what could use a change?

• Is your yearbook a class? Do you need to review how you grade it? Enter our eBook Sooo… How am I supposed to grade a yearbook class? We gathered information from four different yearbook advisers about the different ways you can assign a letter to the work your staff does.
• Check out our Idea File article about running your publication’s social media. It shouldn’t be an afterthought!
• How can you get more students into your yearbook? Read Mike Taylor’s article on how to get more people into each spread.
• What’s you coverage style? Traditional? Chronological? Umbrella? Is it time to change?

Plan for Next Year’s Book

It’s never too early to start thinking about theme!

• We encourage yearbook staffs to pick the right yearbook theme for their year and school, which can’t really be found from a list. However, a giant list of yearbook themes, like those found in The Big Book of Theme Ideas can help you get a jump start on the brainstorming process.
• Find inspiration from our 2019 yearbooks with the in-depth analysis shared in our Theme Gallery
• Check out the amazing themes schools have used and the way they carried out those themes in our Theme Gallery. Our collection goes back to 2015.
• Watch Mike Taylors webinar, “Why Choosing a Yearbook Theme is More Important Than Choosing a Photo Filter.”
• Listen up! Mike Taylor shared the secrets to finding the right yearbook theme for the year in his podcast, Ask Mike. Search for these episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.
  • “How do I choose my yearbook theme?”
  • “What’s in a theme?”

Great photography doesn’t just happen.

• Just because the yearbook staff’s DSLR cameras are locked up over the summer, doesn’t mean great photo opportunities aren’t happening! Review our eBook, Using Your Smartphone to Capture Great Photos, so your staff will be ready with the best camera available – the one they have in their pocket!
• Check out some great yearbook photography examples from over the years! You can download a copy of 100+ Great Yearbook Photos That Captures Our Attention and Why or browse the 2019 Photo Contest Gallery.
• Listen up! Mike Taylor discusses yearbook photography tips with excellent photographers in several of his Ask Mike podcasts episodes. Search for these episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.
  • “How Can I Improve my Yearbook Photography?”
  • “How do I take even better photos?”
• Earn bragging rights (and a $100 gift card)! The 2020 Photo Contest is open until March 27. Enter up to five photos.

What do you want to do with your cover? There are so many options!

• We have great cover examples going back years in our Cover Gallery! Check it out for ideas.
• We love the innovative cover Sherwood High School did in 2018! They really brought the heat with their yearbook cover. Learn more about it on our blog.
• Talk to your rep about the amazing things you can do with your yearbook cover. Walsworth offers tons of cool options – from laser cuts, to color-changing ink, to plexiglass!

Share the Love

Yearbook adviser support yearbook advisers!

• If you have at least three years of experience as an adviser, consider sharing your yearbook knowledge with a newbie! Read our eBook, Becoming a Mentor, for all the reasons you should join the program.
• Learn about the ways yearbook advisers have inspired each other on the Yearbook Chat with Jim
  • “That First Year: New Advisers Reflect”
  • “Taking Over an Established Yearbook Program”
  • “JEA Rising Stars, Part 1: Leigh Rogers, Angie Wolfe and Dan Sidwell”
  • “Rising Stars Part 2: Vanessa Martinez, Samantha Lasarow and Bridgette Norris”
• Sign up for the Adviser Mentor Program. If you’re a new adviser, sign up here. If you’re an experienced adviser looking to mentor, talk to your rep.