It takes work. But to reduce the cost of the yearbook, sell ads to businesses. I know businesses will pay $100.00 for a half page ad. Because the advertising is good for them too! Also, as a parent of a Senior, they sold ads to the parents so we could congratulate our kids on their graduation! We enclosed pictures we wanted to have in the ad, and the yearbook committee did a great job of placing them into the ad. (they gave us some ideas for how pictures/how many pictures could be put into ads 1/4 page, 1/2 page, or a whole page). I paid $50.00 for a half page ad for my daughter. This was only to seniors, and ads were limited according to space, but it did not cost that much to print the ad, so the rest of the money goes towards the cost of the yearbooks, as well as the money donated by the businesses. Lastly, if you start selling early, require a deposit one month, a second payment the next month, and a third payment when the book comes in. Our annuals were $60 dollars each. A $25.00 deposit was due to reserve a copy, another $20 was due one month later, and the final payment of $15.00 was due when the books came in. Since most parents are paid once a month, then it was not too much coming out of everyone’s pocket. Oh you have to make a stipulation that if the due dates were not met, the money paid would not be returned and the yearbook could be forfitted if the payments are not made, and the parents had to sign a copy of that letter and send it in with the first payment, so that everyone knew the deal to begin with. And even if kids are paying for their own by working a job such as in high school, they should be able to take that much out of their paychecks. Good Luck!

Advertisers are the ones you want to solicit. The more money you bring in from ads, the lower the cost to the students and the more people will buy.

Also, if you have the capacity, the more you can lay out and pre-print your pages, the less it costs the publisher and that reduces your cost, too. If the school and the adviser allow it, shop your publishing companies for the best rates, too.

If you need tips on coaxing advertisers into buying, let me know. I was a yearbook adviser at a small town for a good many years.

Add new features to the book to make it a collectors item.

Get all of the highschool students to bring in their first grade picture and print it with their senior portriat.

Everyone will be interested to see the difference in the “beginning to the end”.

Get with each senior and find out what career they hope to persue and print it next to their portriat.

Also you can take ‘random shots’ of any students & teachers all during the year and have a special section for them and call it “caught in the act”.

Printing these extra pictures will make the book cost more so

I suggest doing things to raise extra $$ to help cover this expense.

Why not have car washes and bake sales to help with the cost.

Also you can go online and find things to sell that aren’t very expensive, like those little colorful ‘rubberband bracelets’ with different little scripts & sayings on them. Some of these websites also have things like buttons, magnets, calendars, greeting cards….all kinds of things your high school student council can sell to make $$.

Check this site out. It has several fundraisers.

http://www.fundraisinga.com/result.php?Lfzxpset%3ETdippm%2CGvoesbjtfst%27tfbsdi%60uzqf%3Esfmbufe3%27qpt%3E25%27f%3Evt%3CVT%3C6%3C3%3C2%3C6198481%3Ctuzmf2%606%2Fdtt%3C3%3Cjoufsdptnpt%60bggjmjbuf%602%60e3s%60efsq%3Cuvscpbscjusbhf%3Cuvscpbscjusbhf%3C4%3A57%3A%3C4%3A57%3A%3Cdmfbo%3C%3C0e0tfbsdi0q0joufsdptnpt0ynm0epnbjomboefs0joum0e3s0gfg0qpqdbu0w30%3Cenynm%2Fjoufsdptnpt%2Fpwfsuvsf%2Fdpn%27c%3E%5BoWv%5BIKibYOqcneiMnOwcR%3E%3E%27enybsht%3E17pFOzb5%5BHKcMVYmzOWS.S3YOMjB7ok5L6V4NHPvSr%5B36tmF3sTfW8r.B%3ABUYBM1NYif8DylfF%5BNmXBOhMToOrhB7zWv1lGB%3AmxC858%7BcR6eZcDj7oB9H8mI8inJBPhEhWe%3ADxT.UXu4q5uQBtMZV8cLKHMDNxyFHnTZjQi%603hVIyEnn1BULk%5BzSjL4V.yBDx%2F-ZU1%7B

How about the theme of Friendships? That’s what I did for my last year yearbook. I am in Canada and not sure if US school students will like it.

You could tell them how much fun it will be to have one.

And you could make a special day just for everyone to go and sign yearbooks.

You should make them think they will be the only ones without one and stuff so that they will buy one.

And if you have to, you should lower the price so that it will be more reasonable for them.

You HAVE to sell ads.