Write a book, go to class, start all over again; it's one sophomore's writing life

Sophomore Josh Berman ’13 says he decided to double-major in screenwriting and psychology, just in case the whole writing thing didn’t work out.

But odds are looking good that it will someday, given that Berman, 19, recently wrote and self-published a novel and convinced local booksellers to give some precious shelf space to this first effort,
The Golden Handle
.

“I originally tried to go with the traditional publishing route, but most didn’t want to even talk to me or give me the time of day,” Berman says.

So he took
The Golden Handle
, a somber coming-of-age story about a young girl’s journey to escape abuse that uncovers a shocking family secret, to a self-publishing house and began publicizing it himself. Now he’s awaiting his first quarterly sales report, but his focus is already elsewhere. His school project this semester is a sci-fi screenplay. Says Berman: “I’d like to write a lot of different things.”

Stay tuned, folks.

The Golden Handle is available
online
and at Barnes & Noble at MainPlace and Tustin Marketplace.