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What are the most exciting and rewarding dimensions of the job as well as its challenges?

The benefits include the intellectual stimulation and the challenge of working with people all over the world on topics of real and lively concern. Reading the most recent work out of graduate school helps the Editor to stay current and inspired by the developments in religious studies; but the sheer vastness and variety of topics one will encounter can also be overwhelming. It is helpful, therefore, to have a small group of Associate Editors or an informal board of your own comprised of experts in distinct fields who can help you judge a manuscript’s viability. These colleagues can help you more specifically and proactively negotiate the many disciplinary areas that constitute the academic study of religion.

Helping to shape the conversations in the field in ways that are generative and make a lasting contribution to religious studies (and the lives of individual authors) is also immensely gratifying. So too is helping people express their best thoughts and establish their careers through the publication of their first book. Authors can be very appreciative and that kind of recognition is most rewarding.

The main challenge for this position, as for most editorial positions, is encouraging peer readers to fulfill their obligations. The stakes in publishing these days are very high and authors deserve to have their work reviewed in a timely manner. But you will find readers who are very recalcitrant and whose conduct requires you to issue frequent reminders. Also, if the authors wish extensive editorial engagement, you will be pressed to set an example of a timely model as a reviewer and to balance the sheer volume of work requiring review. On occasion one will have problems handling difficult contributors whose expectations are wildly misguided. And there is always the problem of negotiating a large amount of e-mail correspondence.

How much of a time commitment does being Editor entail?

The time commitment depends on your model for the job, the personality of the author, and the shape of the manuscripts. Some arrive for publication consideration in immaculate condition, already well-revised, and setting forth a compelling argument in clear prose. Others will be raw dissertations that require a substantial amount of revision before they can be sent out to peer review. Some authors simply want the Editor to be a gatekeeper, others want you to line edit every chapter. Some want encouragement and hand-holding, others want a simple business relationship. Sometimes you’ll have a dozen manuscripts in the pipeline; other times you’ll have none. There is no consistent pattern or formula as the job is as varied and idiosyncratic as the manuscripts and authors themselves.

What logistical and financial support can I expect from the AAR and OUP?

Both the AAR and OUP are enthusiastically committed to the book series and want to support the Editors in substantive ways. There is no salary or stipend for being Editor, but there is financial support by way of travel and lodging to and from the Spring editorial meeting.

What logistical and financial support should I seek from my institution?

It will be a great opportunity for your institution that so prestigious a series is associated with its faculty and your participation is a tangible demonstration of service to the profession (which the AAR acknowledges with letters to academic officers you wish to be informed of your work). Your institution should be able to provide overhead and cover the additional travel costs to the Annual Meeting, which you are required to attend.

How many meetings a year does the Editor have to attend?

As a member of the AAR Board-appointed Publications Committee, the Editor will meet with the Committee at the Annual Meeting and also at the Publication Committee’s Spring meeting.

Two appendices follow that include information composed by the current Editor and that are available on the AAR website.



 

This website contains archived issues of Religious Studies News published online from March 2010 to May 2013, and PDF versions of print editions published from Winter 2001 to October 2009.

This site also contains archived issues of Spotlight on Teaching (May 1999 to May 2013) and Spotlight on Theological Education (March 2007 to March 2013).

For current issues of RSN, beginning with the October 2013 issue, please see here.


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