Riley, now 47, published her first novel, Cold Water, at age 23. She was born in London, grew up in Wirral on Merseyside, attended university in Manchester, and currently lives in London. Her novels typically take around four years each to write.
Riley has declared herself incapable of making money any other way than writing, aside from some ad hoc teaching, and said she was never going to stop writing, even when the rent was due. Previous winners of the Windham-Campbell prize include Anne Enright, Margo Jefferson, and Yiyun Li. The specific works or body of work by Riley that led to her selection have not been disclosed, and it is unclear how she will use the prize money.