Cultivate Good Taste, Please
Tastemakers, Market Makers, and Fakers
Dear Head of Mine
An editor's weekly newsletter about books and other things
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Latest posts
The Million Dollar Publishing Plagiarism Crisis
DHM Confidential Vol. #5
Submissions Redux: Red, Yellow, and Green Flags
An editor, when they first get in the business, probably thinks that reading books on submission is the coolest part of the job.
A Thriller Editor Edits the NYT Best of the 21st Century Thriller List
DHM Confidential Vol. #5
Good Publishing, Bad Book
The criticism credo of Dear Head of Mine is generally not to review books that aren’t worth your time to read. Today we make an exception.
7 Things to Appreciate about The Odyssey, or What More Do People Want?
Nowadays it is nearly impossible to avoid not only spoilers but the general hot-take chatter that accompanies any buzzy book or film release.
The Word I Hate the Most
DHM Confidential Vol. #3
Literary Sequels: Do We Want Them?
What is a “Literary Sequel”?
DHM Confidential Vol. #2
Super Constraints—Better than Creative Freedom?
2026 Looks a Lot Like the Early 2000s
A Midyear Reflection on Book Publishing
DHM Confidential Vol. #1
No One Knows What Good Writing Is— How About Bad?