Reddit reviews Little People: A Fantasy Story About Fathers, Sons, and Monsters

Writers and readers, can I get your thoughts on these two cover options?

I’ve recently published a novella called Little People: A Fantasy Story About Fathers, Sons, and Monsters. It’s a 20,000 word dark fantasy novella. It’s geared towards YA readers, but it has some over-arching elements that will appeal to older readers as well.

I created it’s current cover—it’s a combination digital painting and photo montage that illustrates a scene in the second chapter when the protagonist is first exposed to the basement world. The cover I’m using reflects the genre, and hints at some of the elements in the story—the knight, for example, plays an important role, the monster isn’t what it appears to be, and there is violence and gore in the story—hence the blood splatters. I feel like the current cover creates a sense of foreboding and looks like the cover of a YA fantasy horror novella.

A talented buddy of mine created a mock-up of an alternate cover. It takes a very different approach. He created a stylish design based off of some of the elements and events that occurred in the first chapter. (I shared the first chapter with him.) His version with the broken train is really cool. It’s more subtle than my approach, but a broken toy alludes to a childhood trauma, and an envelope hints at an important message with life altering ramifications. Both of those are important elements in the first chapter of the story. There is a sense of mystery here too, and the simple cover looks pretty stylish. I like what he’s created, and am considering creating a design based off of his. But, I like my current cover too. :)

I’d love to get your thoughts on both of these cover options. Which do you think is more eye-catching, and why? For those of you that may have read the novella, or at least the first chapter, which cover do you think best reflects the material? Which type of cover do you think would have the widest appeal?

Here’s a link to the e-book.

Below is the plot description:
Five days after his estranged father’s funeral, a young man is visited in his apartment by two tiny figurines from the father’s basement model train diorama.

They are desperate for help and claim that their world is in terrible danger. Their sun has been out for a week, the train has stopped running, and an unstoppable monster from the outside world has gotten into the basement.

This is a wild adventure that may or may not be true about a son’s discovery of and quest to save the hidden world his mysterious father left behind.