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Zoey Robinson is only 10 years old, but she has already completed 10 books—and she is preparing to begin another.

She wrote her first book at age 5, choosing manners as the subject. The book covered simple expressions such as “thank you.” Since then, her ideas have ranged from bedtime and Christmas to adventures and destinations she hopes to visit, including Antarctica.

“Sometimes I think about the topic, and sometimes it just pops into my head,” Zoey said.

Each book takes several months to complete. Zoey works during her spare time on weekends and after finishing her homework during the week. She begins by writing longhand and also uses an app that turns her spoken thoughts into text.

Her mother helps turn those ideas into finished books. When Zoey settles on a concept, they discuss what she envisions before her mother records her descriptions, exports the transcribed text into a document and assists with formatting and other technical details.

Zoey also imagines the illustrations. For one scene, she pictured herself wearing a red shirt and overalls while holding a shovel. Her mother then works with an illustrator, arranges production and oversees printing.

The books are distributed to bookstores and schools and sold online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. Some schools have also requested copies for classroom use.

Zoey’s work has taken her beyond writing. She is frequently invited to speak and traveled to London in 2023, where she received a Global Influencer Award. She recalled being the conference’s only child speaker, with adults taking the stage before her.

“I was kind of nervous, but I had been a speaker before,” she said.

In 2024, Zoey traveled to Paris for another speaking engagement. Her talks encourage people to believe in themselves and pursue their best work.

“I like to inspire people, uplift them,” she said, adding that she gets that quality from her mother.

Zoey has attended Virginia Virtual Academy since kindergarten. She said its flexible schedule gives her additional time for creative projects.

Her mother chose an online school in hopes of reducing peer pressure and finding a positive educational environment. The arrangement also fits her own schedule as a business owner who works from home.

Zoey’s next project will draw on time spent gardening with her grandmother, who lives nearby in Washington, D.C. Zoey grows cauliflower, tomatoes and watermelon in her own garden and expects to begin assembling the new book soon.