Last autumn, a non-fiction book about Gaius Julius Caesar was published, which I edited together with Maria Jokela. This was my first experience with editing a non-fiction book – in fact, with any kind of editorial work. I had some idea about the role of an editor, but I learned a lot during the project, and there were many surprises along the way. For example, I never could have imagined that I would later be receiving an award for this book.
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| Kirjan julkaisua juhlittiin moneen otteeseen viime syksynä |
The idea for the book originated within the Department of Classics at the University of Turku, when in the spring 2023 we were planning a seminar about Caesar titled Julius noster for the following autumn. The topics of the seminar presentations seemed suitable as chapters in a non-fiction book. Maria and I seized the idea and started outlining the book. During the summer, we invited additional writers, and by late summer, we approached the academic publisher Gaudeamus, who immediately took interest in our book proposal. After that, the project moved forward at a good pace, and the book was published two years later, just in time for the 2025 autumn book fairs.
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| My presentation at the Julius noster seminar in September 2023 |
I knew that the editor’s job involves keeping the project on track and acting as a point of contact between both the publisher and the writers. The editor is mainly responsible for ensuring that the book turns out as intended in terms of the text, structure, and layout. Especially for a non-fiction book aimed at a broad audience, it is important to have a smooth and coherent overall narrative, with a writing style that fits the target audience. This requires the editor to read and comment on the chapters written by others during the project's various phases. I was lucky to share this editing task with my colleague Maria. Our collaboration worked seamlessly from the start.
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| Maria and I often sat in the department's coffee room or meeting spaces working on the book. Here we were drafting the book proposal for the publisher in August 2023. |
One clear challenge was the large group of writers. There were 16 of us in total, and we had to coordinate the content of the chapters, work phases, and deadlines with everyone, as well as develop each chapter. Maria and I read and commented on the chapters several times at different stages of the project. We also gathered with the writers at the University of Turku in September 2024 to discuss the book and its chapters. For some chapters, the structure and content came together easily, while others required more work. There was also the task of cutting out redundancies and repetitions from the chapters. Even though we had to occasionally remind everyone about deadlines, the work progressed well on schedule. The manuscript was sent to the publisher for peer review just before Christmas 2024.
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| The writers at the University of Turku in September 2024. Some of the writers participated remotely. Photo: Jaana Vaahtera |
It was no surprise that the book’s overall structure changed quite a bit during the project. Initially, we had planned to organize the chapters into four thematic sections. However, one of the peer reviewers suggested changes which resulted in the rearrangement of several chapters and the division of the book into three themes: Caesar’s life, writings, and legacy. The structure became much more coherent and functional as a result of these changes. Based on the feedback from the peer reviewers, we also rewrote the introduction almost entirely and added an epilogue to the book.
What I learned the most about was the later stages of the project, specifically the peer review process and working on the manuscript with the copy editor to finalize it for publication. I knew roughly what peer review meant, but this was the first time I saw how it is actually carried out and how it affected the text and structure of the book. As editors, our job was to convey the feedback to the authors and later to compile a summary of the changes for the publisher.
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| Many cups of tea were consumed while working on the book, usually from this mug decorated with Shakespearean insults |
It was only after the peer review in spring 2025 that we were assigned a copy editor. Until then, all communication had been with the publishing director, Leena Kaakinen. Before this project, I had imagined that the copy editor would be part of the process much earlier. However, in hindsight, it is understandable that the authors are responsible for the manuscript until the book has passed the review process and is approved for publication. The final publishing contract was also signed after the peer review in March 2025.
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| A toast to the publishing contract on March 14th, on the eve of the Ides of March! |
In late spring, we began refining the manuscript for publication with our copy editor, Olga Poropudas. She did thorough work on the text and also handled the layout for both the print and digital editions of the book. We worked on the book cover, illustrations, and maps together with Elina Blomqvist and Teemu Ojanne. The publisher's graphic designers took care of the final visuals of the cover and the maps. Later on, we also worked with the audiobook narrator, Markus Bäckman, for example, to ensure the correct pronunciation of Latin quotes. It was a diverse group of people at the publisher who worked on the book, and I am extremely pleased with the outcome, both for the printed book and the audiobook.
Illustrations were a key part of the book, as we wanted to visually illustrate the book’s themes and also to highlight material sources that survive from antiquity such as buildings, sculptures, coins, and inscriptions. Maria and I gathered images from our own archives, the archives of our writers, and from online resources. One unexpected task related to the illustrations was writing so-called "alt-texts" (alternative texts). These are necessary for screen reader programs which read the book aloud and describe the content of the images to readers with visual impairments. Another challenge involved the Asterix comics, as using images from them required obtaining permissions and licenses from the rights holders in France. Fortunately, the publisher deemed this effort and cost worthwhile, and we were able to include a couple of excerpts from the Asterix comics in the book.
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| All the Caesar-related illustrations we gathered (like this one and the ones below) ultimately did not make it into the book |
During the summer of 2025, we continued working hard on the finalizing the book. We compiled various supplementary materials, such as a list of sources and abbreviations. We had two student assistants, Taika Sillanpää and Niko Tiainen, who helped with this. Maria and I also wrote a short glossary and introductions to the key figures in the book. At the same time, the copy editor worked on the text with us and the authors. In early August, we received a draft layout of the book to review, which still required quite a bit of tweaking. Once the text and layout were finalized, the final task was to compile the index.
We were relieved when the book finally went to print at the beginning of September. Of course, the editor’s job didn’t end there; we still had various tasks related to the book’s marketing. However, for most of September, we were just anxiously waiting to see if the book would be ready in time for the book fairs. On October 1st, we received word that the book had come from the press, just in time for the Turku Book Fair, which took place on 3–5 October. At the fair, we finally got to hold the book in our hands. We were also interviewed by the reporter Juha Roiha on Saturday afternoon, when the fair was already quite crowded, and we had a good number of listeners.
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| The editors being interviewed at the Turku Book Fair |
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| Signing copies of the new book at the Turku Book Fair |
After the fair, the book was featured in an event organized by Paideia, The Classical Association of Turku, which attracted nearly 70 listeners to the Turku City Library. The following week, we celebrated the book’s release at the University of Turku. At the end of October, we represented the book at the Helsinki Book Fair. At the start of the book project, we had discussed with the publisher that the book would be a part of the fairs, but I didn't imagine that I would be representing the book as a speaker. The biggest surprise, however, was still to come.
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| Interview together with Jaakkojuhani Peltonen at the Helsinki Book Fair |
Just before the Helsinki Book Fair, we learned that the our book had been chosen as one of the five nominees for the Kanava Prize for the best Finnish biographical book of the year. The nominees were announced at the Helsinki Book Fair on October 23rd. We were extremely honored that our book had been nominated alongside many much more famous authors. However, the real bombshell came in November when Suvi-Anne Siimes, who was appointed to choose the winner, decided to award the Kanava Prize to our book. This kind of recognition was something I never would have expected! The award was a clear acknowledgment that the diligent work we put into the book paid off and that the results were visible to the readers as well.
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| Kanava Prize nominees at the Helsinki Book Fair. |
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| The Kanava Prize was awarded on November 18th in Helsinki |
In addition to the book fairs and the Kanava Prize, the book has also received attention in various media. Maria was interviewed in the radio by reporter Kalle Haatanen and later also appeared on the Parlatorio podcast produced by the Finnish Institute in Rome. A few newspaper and blog articles about the book have also been published. See the links below.
Making the book was an exciting challenge that taught me a lot. At the same time, it was at times arduous and time-consuming. After all, we editors and writers all worked on this book alongside our main jobs. This is typical in academia and especially when it comes to popularizing science. Nevertheless, I consider the time spent on making the book a good investment, as the final result is great and brings visibility both to the book’s authors and to the research on antiquity more broadly. I am, however, relieved that this book project is over and that I can fully focus on writing my PhD dissertation. This book still requires a lot of work!
Sanahirviö: Asterix-luvun kirjoittamisesta Gaius Julius Caesar ‑tietokirjaan (9.10.2025)
Gaudeamus: Kanava-palkinto Gaius Julius Caesar -teokselle (18.11.2025)
Kalle Haatanen: Gaius Julius Caesar (26.11.2025)
Uusi suomi, Puheenvuoro-blogi: Nerokas valtiomies ja kalju avionrikkoja (26.11.2025)
Parlatorio-podcast: Gaius Julius Caesar (29.1.2026)
Tainan ja Tommin aarrearkku -blogi: Kaikkien aikojen Caesar (25.2.2026)
