Some novels start with a plot. Gamebound started with a gluten-free chocolate cake.
“The whole series started in a little café in Regensburg, Germany,” Lou Poletti says. “I was enjoying my favorite tea and cake when I started thinking about an elaborate game system like the ones I enjoyed playing. Then I wondered what would happen if someone woke up in one with no idea why they were there, and out came the iPad.” For a long time she had no plans to publish it. The manuscript was “my own form of writing therapy,” until her dad handed it to her cousin and the pressure to “get this out to the world” took over.
That instinct, to build it for herself first and worry about the audience later, runs through the whole book. Gamebound drops its protagonist, Nylah, into the virtual world of Verindale with half her memories gone, fighting physical creatures and her own emotional demons to hold onto her sanity. It’s gamelit with a psychological spine, and Lou built that spine on purpose. “As a mental health advocate, I’d love to see more representation in fiction,” she says, because “the fantasy helps create distance from the real-world equivalent.” The throughline is acceptance: “accepting help, accepting what is, and accepting what we can do in each moment.”
The decision that shaped the marketing
The sharpest call Lou made is one readers will never see: who the book was for. There was pressure to publish Gamebound as YA fantasy. She chose an adult audience instead, and her reasoning is a small masterclass in letting the story set the strategy.
“I’d personally be more devastated about losing 30-odd years of memories compared to losing 15,” she says. “I felt the impact was more significant for an adult with more experience and a greater number of precious moments to mourn. It just made sense for the story.” Audience isn’t a box you tick after the book is done. It decides the cover, the comps, the categories, and every ad you’ll ever run, and getting it right at the manuscript stage is what makes everything downstream easier.
Worldbuilding by walking the streets
Ask Lou how Verindale got so detailed and she describes something closer to method acting than outlining. “When I’m writing, I’m usually seeing a movie playing in my head. I try to slow that movie down and replay it,” she says, and for the big set pieces she goes further: “For larger set pieces like cities or maps, I’ll draw things that inspire me… or try to walk the streets of a particular city or town in my mind.” One city, Warshingal, grew from a single “what if” about an armada that ran out of land and built a fighting arena to draw trade. That habit of chasing one small question until a whole place exists is the engine of the series.
What she’d tell a first-time author
“Talk to other authors,” she says. “Everyone’s journey is different, but they’re a great source of inspiration and can be a great source of comfort and camaraderie.” And on the draft itself: “Rewrites are your friend! They allow you to elevate your work and your craft, and doing them takes so much pressure off your first draft because it doesn’t have to be perfect.”
Lou came to Literary Inspired for ARC and street-team management and a full launch social strategy: brand voice, visual style, captions, hashtag research, scheduling. Her verdict:
“Instead of wasting hours on courses, research, and trying to learn book marketing from scratch, I found the process considerably more pleasant and fun collaborating with Meg. She took so much of the guesswork out and used her well-established network to help me get a start on mine.”
Gamebound, book one of the Objective 164 Saga, is on Kindle Unlimited. Find Lou at @loupoletti_author and loupoletti.com.
If you’re an indie author who would rather be writing the next book than learning marketing from scratch, tell me what feels messy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gamebound on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes. Gamebound is available on Kindle Unlimited. It's book one of the Objective 164 Saga.
Is Gamebound YA or adult fantasy?
Adult. Lou Poletti chose an adult audience because losing decades of memories felt more significant for an adult character than a teenager, and that choice shaped the cover, comps, and categories.
What genre is Gamebound?
Gamelit fantasy with a psychological, mental-health focus. The protagonist, Nylah, wakes in the virtual world of Verindale with half her memories gone.
Where can I find Lou Poletti?
At loupoletti.com and on Instagram at @loupoletti_author.