David Lombardino | DLA Editors — Editorial & Consulting Reviews 

297
•
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.5

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David’s review is very thorough and thoughtful. I may not like what he says at first because it goes against what I’ve written, but after our discussion I know his ideas are better for the book I want... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

David Lombardino took a rush job from me and did a very thorough developmental edit. I incorporated many of his edits and I think my work is much better for it. Thank you David!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I had an 86,000 word manuscript edited by David Lombardino, and I am so pleased! I felt as if he understood my urban fantasy like no one else has so far, and connected to my story enough to ask me the... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I've used DLA's help for both residency and fellowship and have been told by multiple program directors during interviews that my personal statement was really well written ! I can't thank DLA enough... See more

Company details

  1. Business-to-Business service

Written by the company

I’m David Lombardino, founder of DLA Editors & Proofers. Since 2008, I’ve worked one-on-one with authors, applicants, academics, and professionals on writing and communication where judgment, clarity, and outcomes matter. I collaborate with authors on books and screenplays, helping them strengthen structure, narrative focus, and voice. I work with applicants pursuing medical residency, fellowship, and other competitive programs on personal statements, interviews, and application strategy. And I help academics and professionals shape complex ideas into clear, effective writing. My approach is hands-on and collaborative, centered on careful analysis, specific feedback, and thoughtful decision-making.


Contact info

4.5

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

297 reviews

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4.5

All reviews

(297)

12 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Just want to say thank you so much to…

Just want to say thank you so much to Terry for making my personal statement look so great! I really appreciate your expertise and timely responses. I will definitely recommend you to others in need in the future.

24 June 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great service

Great service.
Fast turnaround and excellent suggestions
Would recommend without any reservations
I’m a repeat customer and have told me friends about this great editing site.

21 June 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

One star less from being perfect…

One star less from being perfect because the editing doesn't seem to be consistent or entirely thorough. Grammar mistakes or capitalization errors may be caught in one paragraph but not in another.

15 May 2019
Unprompted review
David Lombardino | DLA Editors — Editorial & Consulting logo

Reply from David Lombardino | DLA Editors — Editorial & Consulting

Thank you, Andrea, for sharing your feedback. We're always looking for ways to improve our services and would love to know what items you found. Would you contact us at email@dlaeditors.com or 877-454-4957 so we can address them for you?

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

The experience was somewhat helpful but…

The experience was somewhat helpful but didn't meet my expectations. I mainly used DLA because of the feedback option, and because I thought it was unique, but after searching around I found that many editors offer feedback and not just copy editing. My project was specifically for a novel query, and I highly recommend using someone else if you haven't also submitted the manuscript. The feedback only gave me what was wrong with the query (which is still valuable enough information for the above rating) but didn't tell me at all how to write a better query, or what worked in the first. The suggested word count was also out of date, giving me something along the lines of a middle grade book or a YA contemporary vs a YA in the science fiction and fantasy range (something appropriate to when YA was a genre vs the past few years). Not to mention I am pretty sure one of my two grammar mistakes was fixed incorrectly (they put a comma before a list instead of a colon, disregard if there is precedent for it, but I couldn't find any). So mainly I think even though DLA had some helpful feedback, it was not satisfactory and didn't meet my expectations. I think there are better services for query editing.

8 February 2019
Unprompted review
David Lombardino | DLA Editors — Editorial & Consulting logo

Reply from David Lombardino | DLA Editors — Editorial & Consulting

One of the great advantages of having us review a query letter without having first read the manuscript is that we get to see the query letter exactly as the agent will receive it. And when we do that, we use the feedback from the agents we work with to tell you exactly what does and doesn't work. We did this in your case. Of course, when it comes to advising what to put in the query letter, if we do not have access to the manuscript, or at least the synopsis, we're limited in how much we can do. But we'd love the chance to help you further and bring you one step closer to achieving your goal of finding a home for your novel.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

very satisfied

When I first saw the offer, I thought it was a little expensive. Nevertheless, I had my text corrected by DLA. Now I can say it's worth every dollar. I will definitely use DLA again.

18 December 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Personal Statement Success

Realizing I had the makings of a good PhD application but lacked research and subject experience, I realized that my personal statement would be the most critical part of my application. I turned to my mentors from college, yet none could provide DLA's years of graduate admissions experience. They skimmed through my essays, gave me feedback, yet it was not enough. I had three weekdays before my first application was due. I Googled for editing/consultation services and was blessed that DLA was at the top. They were costlier than their competitors, but my future could not be gambled. Enticed into the live chat, I spoke with David, the managing editor. It was clear he knew what he was doing. Going with my gut, I gave DLA a chance, and I am so glad I did.

Terry was the editor for my projects, yet DLA uses a team approach so that all editors contribute to projects. She recommended a structure for my unique story and statement. Then, she worked with me in lightning rounds to get it ready in those three days. The final essay was beautifully crafted and perfectly suited to helping me get into a top PhD program. With all her comments and edits, not only was she supportive, but her mastery of both editing and personal statements shone through. Terry and David even worked with me to clarify how to adapt my essay for other programs. While expertise is the most important factor for something as important as graduate school admissions, their attentive service, encouraging comments, and catering to a tight schedule went beyond any expectations I could have. I feel very fortunate to have found this incredible editing team, and I plan to turn to them first for any future editing needs.

P.S. As a testament to the quality of their editing, I purchased additional essay editing and was equally impressed. They earned my trust and respect, and I am a customer for life.

17 December 2018
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very thorough

Very thorough. Son was shocked at the detailed comments and suggestions.

15 November 2018
Unprompted review

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