Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Tonya Riley

Success Story Interview - Tonya Riley

An Interview with Tonya Riley (anotherwriter2025 on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jennifer March Soloway of Starling Literary + Media.

07/16/2026

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Tonya Riley:
UNRAVELED started as a short story inspired by TikToks I was getting about plus-sized women who were frustrated about thrift shopping. Mona Awad is one of my big influences so I knew immediately I wanted it to have a speculative element and the idea of "what if this woman starts eating clothing?" came to me. I had been looking for a new novel idea after my first book flopped with agents and I realized this needed to be more than a short story. I myself am fat so I channeled a lot of my observations about navigating fashion, dating, and friendships as a larger person into the book. Ironically, I started UNRAVELED way before the movie "The Substance" or any of my comps came out. It wasn't trendy. It was just a story I knew I needed to tell.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Tonya Riley:
As long as I’ve been able to. My first "book" was a handwritten story about a boy who was abusive to his unicorn. I co-wrote it with my twin sister.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Tonya Riley:
I started UNRAVELED in June 2023.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Tonya Riley:
There were times when I thought my book sucked and would never be good enough to query. I have been in a writing group with three other writers since 2023, and having their support helped me get past my slumps.
QT: Is this your first book?: Tonya Riley:
I wrote two full manuscripts in high school and wrote my first adult novel in 2023.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Tonya Riley:
I took classes in screenwriting and playwriting in college, but not really.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Tonya Riley:
It depends on where I am in the writing process. If I've put myself on a deadline or set a specific word count, I like to get up a few hours before work and set Pomodoro timers until I reach my goal. Now that I'm going into pre-submission edits, I plan on waking up at 5 or 6 a.m. again to knock them out.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Tonya Riley:
In total, I probably produced five or six full drafts over two years. The first draft was very short and had a second POV character I decided pretty quickly didn’t work. I do a lot of ".5" drafts where I start redrafting before I’m done editing the whole manuscript.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Tonya Riley:
I have a writing group of three other writers who read two drafts of my book. I also have another author friend who read one draft. For my first book, I had no beta readers, so having consistent critique partners this time around made a huge difference.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Tonya Riley:
I would say I moderately outline. I figure out where the turning points are, but I don't go scene by scene. My first book was totally from the hip, and I think it lacked a lot of elements critical to success because of that.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Tonya Riley:
I queried my first book in September 2022. I started querying UNRAVELED in September 2024 with a small batch of ten agents. I got my first full request in December 2024.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Tonya Riley:
According to my dashboard, I sent 72. I think there may have been a few I forgot to track. I ended up with 17 full requests and three offers.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Tonya Riley:
I generally looked for agents who represented upmarket novels and also expressed an interest in horror through their manuscript wishlists, agent bios, client lists, and interviews. As long as they didn't explicitly say they didn't want body horror and they mentioned themes in my book, I queried them. I queried a few genre-specific agents, but ultimately wanted someone who would be able to work with me on non-horror projects. I would highly recommend investing in at least a month of Publisher's Marketplace to narrow down your list. There are a lot of agents who are incredibly active on social media but don't have much of a sales track record. Unless they were a brand-new agent, a good sales track record was a must for me.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Tonya Riley:
I generally didn’t. I didn’t tailor for any of the agents who offered me representation. My hot take is that it really doesn’t matter if you mention some obscure interview they did three years ago if you’ve got a great hook. I researched what agents were interested in and let the project speak for itself. I spent way too much time trying to find a perfect manuscript wishlist match to pitch agents for my first book, and I think it limited my options unnecessarily.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Tonya Riley:
Don't disqualify yourself. It doesn't matter how big an agent is or how fancy they seem. If you have a good book and they seem like they might be the right fit, you should query them.

Also, don't be afraid to query another agent at the same agency if the first rejects you. As long as you follow any guidelines they provide, it's totally normal to do this (at my current agency, a no from one is a no from all). At least one of my full requests and one of my offers came from agents at agencies where another agent had rejected me.

Success Story Interview - Tonya Riley

Query Letter: