Welcome to Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook’s new website. I’ve got several changes to tell you about as the college basketball “bible” returns for its 37th edition.
The first change you might have already noticed—our address is now www.blueribbonyearbook.com, but the old www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com will still get you here.
We’ve also changed the look of our cover, thanks to the efforts of Travis Knight, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based graphic artist who has done a lot of work for the film industry. We wanted to bring a fresh, bold look, while at the same time not forgetting our roots.
You’ll also see my name above the mast at the top of the cover; after more than a quarter century writing, editing and being a co-owner of Blue Ribbon, I have assumed full ownership of the publication. I couldn’t be happier to continue to bring the book to our loyal fans, and I can assure you we’ll always try to improve the product, our website and our delivery system.
Other changes:
• The cover price of the perfect-bound edition has gone up by $1. This is the first price increase we’ve made in eight years, but it wasn’t done without a lot of thought, and for good reasons. The spiral bound edition has not increased in price.
• The width of the book has increased by a quarter inch to better accommodate the spiral binding and not interfere with copy.
• Our cover will feature a new glossy coating that will protect it from scratches and bending at the corners. We know many of you collect your back issues, and this will be a way to keep them in as good of condition as possible, despite the heavy usage they are certain to see during the season.
• I hope you’ll find the new website, built by another Chattanooga-based graphic artist and web designer, Aaron Cowan, easier to use than ever. Our system of ordering is new. You no longer have to open an account to place an order.
• You can still provide your email address for tracking numbers, but we promise not to flood your inbox with mail. You might hear from us two or three times a year, and then only to announce that pre-orders have launched, or that we’re offering some sort of deal.
• We will have two options of shipping this year. Our Shopify-based web store will compute the weight of your order and give you a price based on that weight and the distance the book(s) will be shipped. We’ll still offer USPS Priority, which we’ve found is the least expensive expedient method of delivery. USPS promises 2-3 delivery on Priority Flat Rate.
• We will also offer Priority Express, if you’re in urgent need of your book.
• We’ve hired a new creative director, Susanna Haynes, to take over from our long-time designer Christina Carden, who finally got that dream job we knew would one day take her from us. We loved Christina’s work, but she handpicked her successor, and we couldn’t be happier to have Susanna on board.
• If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop us a line at our new email address, info@blueribbonyearbook.com. You can also call our toll-free number between the hours of 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Eastern. Leave a message before or after those hours.
Thanks for your business,
Chris Dortch
Editor and Publisher