Hey Reader,

Fam… launch week is LAUNCH WEEKING. 😩

My fifth book, "Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name", officially dropped on Tuesday. And y’all… the love? THE LOVE?? I’ve been blown away. 🫶🏾

From SiriusXM with Zerlina Maxwell, to NBC News, to a feature in People Magazine, to linking up with Tina Shoulders at LinkedIn, to seeing so many adorable kids at school visits… I’ve been out here.

I wrote this book for any kid who has ever felt othered because of their name.
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But let’s be for real: the struggle doesn’t stop when we grow up. Some folks are still out here playing in our faces about our names. Let’s talk about it. 👇🏾

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RANT

Skipping part of my last name is wild behavior.

You know how “Little Troublemaker” deals with a kid making fun of her name on the first day of school? Well, let me tell you what happened to grown Luvvie.

I received an award this past year and the person presenting it looked down at their script and said “LUVVIE JONES.” WHO. IS. THAT?!?!

Like… skipped the whole AJAYI part.

I won’t lie. I was HOT. And yes, this happened recently. So at my biggest age of 40, I’m still dealing with this.

I ain’t wanna embarrass her but I was definitely giving side-eye. My name is Luvvie Ajayi Jones. A-JA-YI. AH-JA-YEE is not hard at all. It is EXACTLY like it’s spelled.

Three syllables that carry my heritage, my family’s legacy, my Nigerian identity.

The audacity to just erase part of who I am because you couldn’t be bothered to get out your head? Nah. We’re not doing that. 😡

This isn’t just about me, though. This is about every child whose name got butchered during roll call. Every professional who’s been “nicknamed” at work without consent. Every person who’s had to shrink their identity to fit someone else’s comfort.

Especially when you know folks can say Tchaikovsky with zero problems. 🙄

Ask. Practice. Record it if you need to. But don’t decide someone’s full identity is optional.

I really want people to do better.

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REFLECTION

Saying the quiet parts out loud: I’m tired of working this hard. 😴

Yesterday, 3 days after my 5th book dropped, I did nothing. I stayed in my hotel room.

No events. No press. Just quiet.

Even with this being my most pared-down book launch ever, I’m tired. Not “I need a nap” tired, but tired in my bones. Tired in a way I haven’t felt in past launch weeks.

Look, I’ve done this. I teach this. Five books deep. Four NYT bestsellers in. Launching books is what I help my clients do in The Book Academy. I know what it has taken for me to get to this level and it has taken blood, sweat, tears, crumbles, lessons, failures, and burnout.

And frankly, I’m actually exhausted.

I’ve been on burnout recovery for the last year. This is the first book launch since I’ve rebuilt my company (and frankly, myself) and the pace I used to go at for OTHER launches? I no longer have the stamina for it.

Yesterday, I made sure I had no obligations, because I was already tapped out after 2 really busy days. When old me woulda had 3 more 12-hour press and visit days.

BUT 40 YEAR OLD ME?!? Uh uh. I already need a break. I’ve hit the wall. The effort wall.

And I realize that it’s because my success metrics are changing. Because when I see the videos y’all are posting of little ones holding “Little Troublemaker” like it was made for them, I’m reminded THAT’S THE REAL LAUNCH. That’s the metric. The recognition. The representation. The joy. 🥹

So, I’m focusing on that success metric this time and I am learning to lean into ease because all I’ve known has been the grind.

22 years of writing on the web. 15 years of running my company. 9 years as a published author. I’ve knocked on a lot of doors. I’ve done a lot of chasing.

I'm tired of going so hard. We do not say this enough: I wish I didn’t have to work twice as hard to get half as far. The burden of that sits with me sometimes and doesn’t feel fair. It is a fact in this deeply unjust world.

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I look forward to being an author who doesn't have to promote to sell helllllaaaaaaaaa books (like so many white authors). I wanna be one of them who drops a book, barely even mentions it and hundreds of thousands of copies sell.

As a Black woman who has more than paid her dues, I’m like “I need these dues to start cashing in quicker.” HA!

Launches are A LOT. And if you’re an introvert? This launch thing is WORK. But we do it because we believe in the words we’ve written.

So I am saying my favorite prayer: Let my helpers (and readers) find me.

God, hear my desire. Amen. 🙏🏾💫

This launch week has been especially challenging with the world so loud, too. PBS defunded, a new pope selected, the usual political chaos. It’s hard for a children’s book about names to break through all that.

(And don’t get me started on how Instagram is throttling my reach! A story that should reach thousands of my followers barely makes it to a few hundred? In the middle of my book launch? COME ON. 💀)

Reader, that’s why I’m grateful for this list. I’m grateful for YOU reading this right now. Social media platforms come and go, algorithms change, but this direct connection? It’s gold.

Normally, I would grind even harder to rise above the noise and promote, promote, promote. BUT this time? I ordered take out and stayed in bed. 🛏️

Because as The Nap Ministry says… we will rest. Rest is resistance. ​
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Even though I’ve learned this lesson a few times, I’m still leaning into surrender. Ironically, to get to the next level, I have to sit in the energy of abundance and receiving.

I’ve paid my dues. Now, I ask: may the doors that matter most swing open without me even having to knock.

Let my helpers find me. Let YOU, my readers, find me. → BUY YOUR COPY TODAY (first week sales REALLY matter).

And let this book get into the hands of all the babies who need it most. Amen. 🙏🏾

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RECOMMENDATION

FINALLY. Get Your Name on a Keychain.

You know I’ve been most pressed about names and why we need to be seen. And not only did I write a book dedicated to those of us whose names are not on keychains, now I’m doing something to fix it!

YOU CAN NOW GET A CUSTOM KEYCHAIN WITH YOUR NAME!!!

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Click the button above to place your order now and use code Launch20 to get 20% off this week ONLY!

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LOOK AT MINE!!!

Because we deserve to see our names after ALL THESE YEARS when we’d go to Six Flags and not see ours anywhere.

In the Little Troublemaker gift boxes I sent to the kiddies, I made sure they all got their names, and it is time to make sure YOU can too.

I kicked this off last month when I went to one of my fave conferences, called Leading Women Defined, a space full of people with names that deserve full attention. You know the ones... those names rooted in culture, joy, and legacy. Names that never got the respect they deserve.
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What happened next? Grown women cried. They’d never seen their name on something like that. One by one, they came up saying, “I bet you don’t have mine.” And then I’d pull it out. The hugs. The joy. The tears.
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Now we’re bringing that joy to YOU.

✨ Starting TODAY, and for a limited time, you can order your own custom keychain! ✨​
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You can get 20% off with code Launch20 for this week ONLY!

And if you haven’t grabbed "Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name" yet? This is your moment. This is the movement.

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So let me ask you: What’s been exhausting you to your bones lately? How can you lean into rest, abundance, and ease instead?

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With ease and purpose,
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P.S. If you’ve already grabbed your copy of “Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name,” would you consider sharing it on social media? Tag me so I can shower you with love! And if you’re reading it with little ones, I’d love to see their reactions too. These moments of representation are too precious not to celebrate together. 🥹💫 I’m @Luvvie on all platforms!