Elodie Olson-Coons – Editor

The Second Pen is a bespoke literary consultancy currently based in Switzerland. With seven years of professional experience as a book editor, I specialise in literary and historical fiction, memoir, auto/biography and travel writing. I'm drawn to the collaborative aspects of editing, including working closely with writers on structure and style.

As a structural editor, copyeditor and proofreader, I work on a regular basis with Faber & Faber, Pushkin Press, Canelo, Head of Zeus, Unbound, Fairlight Books, Arcadian Lifestyle Publishing, Joffe Books, Gallic and White Mountain Books. I also take on fiction and memoir manuscripts from private clients in order to fix them up for self-publishing or submission to agents, in parallel to my ghostwriting work.

Since 2012, I've been a book editor for Arcadian Lifestyle, an independent publishing company shepherded by Bloomsbury and Oxford University Press, editing and proofreading in-house and external projects as well as managing freelance writers.

During my time with Arcadian, I've commissioned and edited academic articles, short stories and full-length fiction and nonfiction books, overseeing every stage from conception and structuring to drafting, proofreading and printing. From 2013 onwards, I have worked for the company freelance.

I review classical concerts in France, Switzerland and the UK for Bachtrack, a leading international website, specialising in contemporary music and opera. I also curate the culture section for Grand Genève Magazine, a local arts publication, and occasionally write features and interviews for other publications, including Music & Literature.