Interview with Jerry Ford, Author of Guns, Drugs, or Wealth @RealJerryFord #interview

 

Today's guest is Jerry Ford, author of the new nonfiction motivational book, Guns, Drugs, or Wealth. Jerry is here to talk about his book, writing and what surprised him about getting his book published.

Welcome to The Writer's Life!  Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process.  Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning?  When did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I came up with the idea to write Guns, Drugs, or Wealth, when I was traveling with my clients Big Sean and DJ Mo Beatz.  Mo Beatz and I agreed to journal for several hours a day hoping that something interesting would come from it. So we journaled and out came the content for my book. We held each other accountable for taking time to write and talk about our ideas. Two minds are always better than one.

Who is your publisher and how did you find them, or did you self-publish?

I published my book under my publishing house, Beast Publications. However, Scribe did my book design. It was an honor to work with such experienced book designers. They did an amazing job. The cover speaks for itself.

Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

Getting my book published was easier than I thought. This may be because I approached this process ready to work as hard as I needed to in order to make this book a masterpiece. The most challenging part for me was editing the manuscript so that it read well, rather than writing it how I speak. I am a speaker, not a writer. I am a listener and not a reader. Other than the editing process, everything else went very smooth.

Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?

I think that the book cover plays a huge role in selling the book. It is the book’s only chance to make a great impression to the world. I believe that the cover of the book, along with the words on the cover, is what sells the book. Before my book was titled Guns, Drugs or Wealth, I called it MIQ (Money IQ). I settled on this name until I did a simple exercise that quickly made me change my mind. I put MIQ next to all of my favorite books and asked myself which book I would read. So, there was Think and Grow Rich, MIQ, The New Jim Crow and Rich Dad, Poor Dad. From this exercise I realized that I would never think to pick up MIQ. I changed the name to Guns, Drugs, or Wealth.

How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

Writing the book was easy but making sure that the book was in the correct form that could stand next to other professional books was challenging for me. I am a speaker, not a writer. This made it hard for me not to write how I speak. I had to be sure to use correct grammar while simultaneously letting my voice shine through the structure of my words. However, when my editor and I finally cracked the code it was very rewarding. It feels great to have readers read this professional book but still feel like it’s a front porch casual conversation. My advice for someone writing a book would be to higher an editor. This is very important because they will see things that you don’t, let them bridge the gap for you.

What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

 I have a few ideas for other book but nothing concrete as of yet.

What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

My book was originally going to be an Application that was sold on phones, iPads and computers. It was going to be an educational App that was going to make learning fun. When I took a survey and tested the idea with a couple hundred people, I quickly realized it was not a good idea for my product.

Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

First and foremost I want people to find their strengths and weaknesses. You can only take over the world at your strongest. I first want my readers to find out if they are a reader or listener. Do they learn better from reading books or from listening to books? Second, I want my readers to know that if you cannot catch up to a Harvard grad by being one way, figure out a way to catch them by being different. This book is about how to build wealth through stocks, real estate and smart spending. I talk about how I did it as a celebrity personal trainer and I teach it in layman’s terms.

  

Thank you again for this interview!  Do you have any final words?

Eighty percent of America is poor/middle class, Ten percent is upper class leaving only Ten percent to be financially free. Everybody deserves the chance to attain the specialized knowledge so that they can build wealth.

Jerry Ford is a Detroit native who grew up in the ghetto. He has been involved in and witnessed everything from gun violence to drug trafficking and addiction, jail, gang life, and murder. At age fourteen, Jerry’s brother, Sam, was murdered on their mother’s birthday. At age seventeen, Jerry’s best friend, Steven, was also murdered. The list goes on. One of the ways Jerry channeled his anger was through martial arts; he became a black belt in multiple styles and received gold medals in the Junior Olympics and other world-respected tournaments.

Jerry received his Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University. Immediately after college, he started his career as a personal-fitness trainer at New York Health & Racquet Clubs, and soon became one of the company’s top trainers. Having established himself as a fitness professional in New York City, Jerry moved Los Angeles, where he became a top trainer at Equinox. After mastering the science of human engineering, Jerry parted ways with Equinox to launch his own private training business. His clients currently include high-net-worth individuals, celebrities, royal family members, fighters, and a variety of other tastemakers. While still based in Los Angeles, he travels nationally and internationally to train clients.

Jerry is also an investor in stocks, real estate, television and film properties, and anything else he believes to be worth the risk. This is his first book, and he wrote it to help others walk their own paths to success.

Visit him at Twitter at www.twitter.com/realjerryford.

Title: GUNS, DRUGS OR WEALTH: THE THREE-INCOME SECRET TO SUCCESS THAT TOOK ME FROM THE STREETS OF DETROIT TO THE TOP OF MY GAME
Author: Jerry Ford
Publisher: Beast Publications
Pages: 164
Genre: Nonfiction/Motivational

BOOK BLURB:

Author and Celebrity Personal Trainer Jerry Ford has authored a powerful, painfully honest book entitled GUNS, DRUGS, OR WEALTH as a help and inspiration to others who also seek personal wealth and independence.

Said Jerry Ford: “ ‘Guns, Drugs, or Wealth’ is about how I went from the hard streets of Detroit to building wealth through stocks, real estate and smart spending. I share with my readers how I began to build my wealth as a personal trainer. As I wrote this book, I imagined myself having a front porch casual conversation with my readers. This how-to guide on building wealth will not only teach people how to build wealth, but it’s written in layman’s terms. The genres of this book are business, inspiration, and self-help.”

Mr. Ford’s book tells all that he has learned, offering readers specific, tried-and-true tools for building wealth by creating three streams of income: (1) passive income (through real-estate investing), (2) portfolio income (through stock market investing), and (3) earned income (through hard work and smart spending).

As a personal trainer, Jerry Ford has worked with many, many “big name” clients, including rapper Big Sean to musical artist MoBeatz. One special trip led to Ford becoming an author. “I was traveling with Big Sean and MoBeatz and decided to journal a few hours a day on the trip. A few hours turned into many…and two months later I had created the manuscript for my book.”

A tragedy earlier in his life also drove Jerry to pull himself up from a hard life in his native Detroit and build a life for himself as a personal wealth coach and trainer. “My brother Sam was murdered…I miss him every day. He inspires me to get out of bed and go as hard as possible in life every day…I feel like I am living for two people instead of just one, myself.”

“Being an author was never a plan,” asserted Jerry. “I knew I needed to figure out a way to help the eighty percent of America who are poor or middle class. I knew that I needed to help the three billion people on the planet who are really poor. Of course this book doesn’t make up for the world’s educational flaws, but it’s a start. Schools don’t teach people how to build wealth.”

Praise for Jerry Ford and His Method

"Jerry traveled across the globe to train me. He goes hard in fitness and in life!"  

--Alisha Boe, actress best known for 13 Reasons Why on Netflix

"I am inspired by Jerry's principles of building wealth through real estate and stock market investments as well as entrepreneurship. With multiple streams of income, the sky is the limit when it comes to potential earning power. This book is here to help!"  

--Adrienne C. Moore, actress best known for Orange Is the New Black on Netflix

"Jerry is a beast, and I can totally understand why. Coming from our city, it's life or death." 

--Dj Mo Beatz, best known as Big Sean's official DJ

"Jerry is not only a trainer; he's an entrepreneur. He has come up with incredibly creative ways to service his high-end clientele. Not only do I enjoy working with Jerry--he's great to hang out with." 

--Marc Webb, film and television producer

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