The joint annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) drew nearly 9,500 scholars to San Antonio, Tex., Nov. 19-22. Academic religion publishers populated an exhibit hall where they sold books at deep discounts; they also used the conference to promote titles for course adoption, meet with authors, and scout for new projects. Publishers reported good traffic, and the aisles were crowded with conference attendees buying books.
The number of exhibitors was flat this year at 139, and there was a slight drop in attendance, to 9,500 compared to 2015’s 9,950 in Atlanta. Jack Fitzmier, executive director of AAR, anticipated the drop, citing higher travel costs, especially for international attendees. John Kutsko, executive director of SBL, agreed that the location—away from both coasts—was not ideal for those coming from other countries. Last year’s experiment in a post-conference consumer component, Retail Tuesday, had been a disappointment, and it was scrapped this time.
Fitzmier reported 8,700 members of AAR; SBL has seen a slight uptick (1.7%), mostly in scholars from Asia and the Southern Hemisphere, up to 8,100. There were more than 1,400 sessions at this year’s conference, and both Fitzmier and Kutsko expressed interest in combining some sessions and shortening them to promote interaction and allow scholars to fit more into their schedules.
AAR/SBL also is a place for scholars in the two disciplines to hunt for teaching positions, which, as in other fields, have declined in number as colleges, universities, and seminaries create fewer tenure track positions and make greater use of adjunct professors. The news caused concern among conference attendees, as Kutso indicated that the drop has been “significant.” In December, SBL will release a report quantifying the decrease.
Reviewing books and having one’s books reviewed are essential to scholars’ careers, and AAR’s biggest news during the conference was Readingreligion.org, a site offering open-access book reviews. Fitzmier said Readingreligion is a way to provide scholars with more reviews than could be published in its print Journal of the American Academy of Religion. He said the site “is a changed approach to digital humanities,” which, unlike in STEM fields, have not made their research available to the public online. SBL also offers reviews through its Review of Biblical Literature, but has placed them behind a paywall for members-only access.
Publishers exhibiting at the conference were upbeat, telling PW that scholarly religion book publishing is a thriving enterprise. Paraclete Press, exhibiting at AAR/SBL for the first time in six years, is expanding its academic line with books that include a new series of writings from Clyde Kilby, the late professor of English at Wheaton College. Baker Publishing Group is beefing up its Baker Academic and Brazos Press lines, recently hiring Henry Carrigan as senior acquisitions editor. (Carrigan was once PW’s religion book reviews editor.)
Oxford University Press’s Theo Calderara, editor-in-chief, history and religion, said OUP is making it a priority in 2017 to get its books into indie bookstores. IVP publisher Jeff Crosby cited growth in digital sales and pointed to hiring Marty Schoenleber in the new role of ecommerce and sales analytics manager. This fall, Jesuit publisher Paulist Press scored a coup, becoming the English-language distributor outside of Italy of the Vatican Museum’s (Musei Vaticani) art books series, which were on display at the show.
Talk of the presidential election was constant, and many religion publishers said they expect a surge of books about the role of religion in Donald Trump’s administration. Paul Franklyn, associate publisher of Bibles at Abingdon Press, said the United Methodist publishing house was “hit hard” by the defeat of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who is Methodist. Nevertheless, sales for its Common English Bibles have led to a positive year for the publisher. Apropos of issues raised by the president-elect, Abingdon was promoting Duke Willimon’s Fear of the Other—which urges Christians to love foreigners and strangers—and said that additional books on politics are on the horizon, according to Franklyn.
Westminster John Knox is enjoying a post-election sales boost for its A Letter to my Anxious Christian Friends by David Gushee, who challenges nostalgia for an imagined, better past. Next year WJK is launching the new Spiritual Biography series, starting with books on Jackie Robinson and Eleanor Roosevelt. WJK is also expanding into the children’s book market, according to v-p of marketing Alicia Samuels. “We can contribute strongly to [the category] as a progressive religion publisher with books on social issues and values,” she said. In May 2017, WJK will publish its first children’s book in 20 years, with five more to follow through 2018.
Also among prevalent topics at the show was the Museum of the Bible, which is being funded by Hobby Lobby founder David Green and his family. It opens in Washington, D.C. next year, and Princeton University Press is publishing Bible Nation by Candida Moss and Joel Baden, which executive editor Fred Appel described as a “respectful but critical” look at the museum and its enshrinement of a particular interpretation of the Bible. The book is expected to publish in November 2017.
InterVarsity Press was still dealing with the fallout from the decree in September from its parent organization, the campus ministry InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, that employees of both the ministry and the press must step forward for “involuntary resignation” if they do not agree with InterVarsity’s opposition to gay marriage. SBL voiced concerns over IVP’s commitment to continue publishing authors with different views, and there were rumors the press would be excluded from the book exhibit. IVP publisher Jeff Crosby reassured SBL that its authors will not be held to the same policies as employees, and Kutsko and Crosby issued a joint statement affirming their mutual commitment to the free exchange of ideas.
The talk of the book exhibit was the surprise success of Benedictine oblate Richard Rohr’s The Divine Dance, on the doctrine of the Trinity, which was published by the Pentecostal/Charismatic press Whitaker House in October. The book sold 16,000 copies the first week after its release, and HarperOne is in a bidding war with two unspecified houses to publish Rohr’s next book.
AAR/SBL 2017 meets in Boston, Mass., Nov. 18-21.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of AAR members.
12/14/16: This article has been updated to reflect the correct names for Candida Moss and Joel Baden.
