I've worked as a sales representative for several yearbook companies.
Yearbooks have gotten expensive because schools have been brainwashed that there are only a handful of companies that can produce them. Therefore, prices have gone up each year even though some production costs have gone down. Some schools will have a yearbook printed in color by company H, J, W, or T while another customer across the street pays more for a black and white yearbook with the same number of pages and copies. Why? Because one school is smart enough to get bids and the other has an adviser or principal who is so attached to her representative, taking kickbacks, or too scared to do otherwise. Talk about a racket! These customers are stupid! They will actually tell you that they have signed a three year contract with their company, at a 7% annual increase, just so they can get a $ 500 camera for free. At the same time, they are paying thousands, maybe many thousands of dollars more than they should be paying.
Want to get rich? If you are a great salesman, if you do well with one of the yearbook companies you'll make over 100K a year. That will make those kids continue to pay upwards of $ 100 per copy!
Wait, you say that book doesn't cost $ 100? It does, but it's cost was probably offset by the thousands of dollars in ads that the poor kids has to sell in this depressed economy. That's right, send little Cindy out calling on businesses and get her to sell ads so that they yearbook rep can pay for his BMW!
If I've made any typos here it is because your site forces me to type at a lame 6 pt. size!
Not E. Fanof AK8:12PM February 06, 2010
While the bound yearbook may be "around", I think the point may be relevance to ME. The yearbook tends to be the reality of school life as experienced or presented by the yearbook committee? It is their view of the school experience that is presented as everyone's experience. Therefore, to the vast school population - it is not relevant. I believe the technologies need to merge. Let me build my view of the school life time period into MY book. Let me have my own section bound into the rest of the book. Not just some taped in supplement in the back. It is personal to me, or my group. That is why Facebook is popular. I can relate to my friends and my life experience, not just a select committee? I would assume digital technology would allow personalization?
T. Dimpleof TN9:52AM December 22, 2009
why does this web page have to be so boring and lame
Valuable thoughts and advices. I read your topic with great interest.
Johnof AL10:56AM August 03, 2009
k4o09w
Vgxixqmyof AZ7:45AM July 20, 2009
While I am a huge advocate of socilal networking for various reasons, I also work in the yearbook insdustry and have not seen a dramatic decline in yearbook sales due to Facebook or MySpace; rather, declines in sales have been due to economic and cultural factors as the article indicated.
May I also remind you all that putting anything on one specific type of technology will eventually make it obsolete. Anyone still accessing things they put on 8-track tapes? How about floppy disks or zip disks? Remember BETA tapes and VHS? And we're currently seeing the rise of Blue Ray over mere HD. So, let me just say that a printed yearbook is the only technology guaranteed to work in 25 years. (And when you are heading off to your 25th high school reunion, you're going to be glad it does!)
C. Hansenof CA3:43PM July 18, 2009
Rather interesting. Has few times re-read for this purpose to remember. Thanks for interesting article. Waiting for trackback
derekpmof AL2:18AM July 13, 2009
I think that Yearbooks and Facebook need to work together to achieve a common goal. Yes, Journalism is dropping, but according to Yearbook Advisor Mr. Melton yearbook subscritions are not on the decline.
This could eventually be the case, but for now its not. Newspapers on the other hand are on the decline. Major newspapers like the Seattle-Post Intelligencer and Boston Globe have gone strictly online in effor to save money and cut down on employees...that's a whole different story
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Not E. Fan of AK 8:12PM February 06, 2010
T. Dimple of TN 9:52AM December 22, 2009
oiril of CA 7:37PM December 03, 2009
Barbara31 of NV 7:26AM October 23, 2009
Mr.Carrot11 of IA 8:46AM October 22, 2009
John of AL 10:56AM August 03, 2009
Vgxixqmy of AZ 7:45AM July 20, 2009
C. Hansen of CA 3:43PM July 18, 2009
derekpm of AL 2:18AM July 13, 2009
JSLYE of VA 8:39AM June 09, 2009