Where do authors obtain erotic imagery for front covers?

[Vautour]

N/A

 

[Lifestyle66]

I'm trying my hand at using a 3D software graphics program. It's DAZ3D.

There's a learning curve to get the models and lighting positioned properly. And some of the assets needed for good scenes might cost anywhere from $10 to $40 each, for a total investment of one or two hundred for any one scene. But you can create some realistic scenes from your stories.

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View attachment 2154497 View attachment 2154498
These are scenes I've created from some of my stories.

 

[tenyari]

I'm trying my hand at using a 3D software graphics program. It's DAZ3D.


View attachment 2154497 View attachment 2154498
These are scenes I've created from some of my stories.

The basic Daz3D program is also free, or was when I last used it and for the nearly 20 years prior so I suspect it's still free.

The models can rack up to hundreds of dollars really fast. But some basic ones will not be too much.

That said, the models that include 'intimate anatomy' are usually very pricey, unless there's a sale - and Daz is the kind of place that ALWAYS has a 'you gotta buy this now' sale on something.


Another trick is to get an account on Second Life, and make some characters for yourself - this is another rabbit hole that will drain your wallet really fast. You can do more and yet also less with the models here than with Daz... But it's very cheap if you just need a few nudes.

Then there's getting the game 'Sims 4' and some 'adult only' mods. Once a year Sims goes on a 50-90% off sale and you can buy a LOT of the content. But for the stuff you'd need for here all you need is the basic game as 'free content' like clothing, props, and buildings is everywhere. It does have the drawback of a cartoony style. I also believe that art made with Sims 4 characters likely could not be used for professional covers - but for 'amateur work' it is an option.

Your last option is to go somewhere like deviantart and message artists you like offering to pay them to make illustrations for you. This... might actually be the cheapest option, because buying all the tools in Daz / Sims / SecondLife adds up very fast. If you only need a few commissions, hire an artist who you can already see has talent.

Many artists on art sites actually have info in their profiles as to whether or not they do commissions.


If you're using it for a piece of work you're selling, you can get into a LOT of trouble if you use stolen art like that Instagram example you gave. I imagine the last thing many people would want is their name in the local news under the heading of:

"Jane Smith, who lives on A street between 1st and 2nd; steal's photo of popular model to use as cover for porn novel."

 

[KeithD]

My covers are provided by my publisher, but I'm given input on them. I'm rather pushy about having the cover images match the content, and if I see a cover image I really like that doesn't do it, I've been known to change the content references so that it does. It irritates me to read something the cover image doesn't support.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I've been looking into covers, too,, and I'm wondering how much I want to invest. I agree with Keith, I find it annoying when I'm reading a story about a redhead and the woman is blonde on the cover, and doesn't sound like anything described in the story.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Or, you can always just toss your underwear in a tree and take a picture...

 

[lovecraft68]

Stock photo sites like Bigstock, dreamstime, 123rf are options, but for erotic images I find Deposit photo has a better selection.
Prices vary on whether or not you want to buy a credit plan, or a month subscription. Deposit has a $30 30 image plan so a buck a photo, but anything you don't use when the time is up you lose.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

Stock photo sites like Bigstock, dreamstime, 123rf are options, but for erotic images I find Deposit photo has a better selection.
Prices vary on whether or not you want to buy a credit plan, or a month subscription. Deposit has a $30 30 image plan so a buck a photo, but anything you don't use when the time is up you lose.

Thanks, I'll have to look into them.

 

[Lifestyle66]

I've been looking into covers, too,, and I'm wondering how much I want to invest. I agree with Keith, I find it annoying when I'm reading a story about a redhead and the woman is blonde on the cover, and doesn't sound like anything described in the story.

That's why I spent time working with DAZ3d to generate my own vision of a few scenes.

I may not be a good writer. But I can see the story in my mind, and as the saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words."

 

[Bramblethorn]

I suspect this is an "it depends" thing, but I'd be interested to hear if anybody has evidence on how much the presence of a sexy naked/near-naked person on the cover affects sales.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Cover quality is what you pay for. Pay too much (for a pre-bought) and you'll never get your money back. Pay too little and your covers look like a joke.

Or you can do what I did, find an image with no chaseable copyright, manipulate it yourself, and do your own covers. Like Melissa and her lingerie, but no Melissa.

That's all I got from the little self publishing I've done - two hundred bucks in the red, some nice covers, and an awful lot of time wasted. Do your credibility maths first, would be my suggestion. But whatever you do, have fun doing it, and know when to stop.

 

[ElectricBlue]

That's why I spent time working with DAZ3d to generate my own vision of a few scenes.

I may not be a good writer. But I can see the story in my mind, and as the saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words."

A very good picture, yes, I agree.

But erotica covers are still very much subject to a potential buyer's taste, and most just say to me, move on.

 

[lovecraft68]

I suspect this is an "it depends" thing, but I'd be interested to hear if anybody has evidence on how much the presence of a sexy naked/near-naked person on the cover affects sales.

Kind of like a story here, who knows if one aspect helped or not? You need to be somewhat careful with the nudity-especially with amazon(example they will often times reject a 'hand bra') but I find a cover with an attractive couple in an erotic pose does fairly well. But your title is also a make or break just like they are here.

Even though the cover will be what initially draws a reader, they're seen in a small size in a gallery before you click the book's page, from there the description is also going to help or hurt you

 

[Lifestyle66]

A very good picture, yes, I agree.

But erotica covers are still very much subject to a potential buyer's taste, and most just say to me, move on.

I write to post in Loving Wives! So, I'm well aware of the different tastes in what people like.

And in posting to LW, I'm come to realize I'm writing what "I" want to create.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I like the image. I'll have to give them a look. Most of my stuff is pretty romantic (except for my raunchier stuff). I'm not really looking for anything too erotic, just want something to let the reader know that the story's on the sexy side, but still a romance. Though it might be past it's prime, I've been thinking of trying out my story, "A Little Too Close for Comfort." It was a pandemic story, but still gets a lot of readers, and has gotten lots of positive comments.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I use public domain images. It takes a lot of time doing searches for the correct image but then again I will use several on a cover which I put together using Paintshop Pro 2021, it wasn't all that expensive.

 

[Auden James]

I was surfing on the Kindle store and saw that an author had used a stolen picture from an Instagram model as his front cover. However, it was cropped and omitted the model's face. I only noticed because the girl's figure is unforgettable.

That comment about the model's figure being "unforgettable" made me curious—and then chuckle after clicking the link and looking up the cover in question.

Seriously, Vautour, what's unforgettable about some female of normal weight with incongruously large and obviously fake augmented tits? Isn't that pretty much the exact look of every other female porn star or wannabe bimbo these days?

 

[lovecraft68]

Hi guys,

Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place or if it has an obvious answer.

I was surfing on the Kindle store and saw that an author had used a stolen picture from an Instagram model as his front cover. However, it was cropped and omitted the model's face. I only noticed because the girl's figure is unforgettable.

For those who publish on the likes of Amazon, what legit sources do you recommend for obtaining good erotic imagery? Or does everyone just use cropped/edited pictures they find on the internet for free?

Thanks so much.

Cropping, or reversing an image is a trick to avoid the picture showing up if someone searches for it. Usually when a stolen image is discovered, its like you, someone who happened to spot an recognize it.

What I don't understand is why people do this, as people have pointed out there are programs, there are free use photos(generally not great for erotica) and as I said you can get 30 stock photos for $30 and if you can slap some text on a decent image you have a serviceable cover. That picture-other than her having a nice body-is nothing special, you can find that pose easily enough on a photo site

 

[lovecraft68]

That comment about the model's figure being "unforgettable" made me curious—and then chuckle after clicking the link and looking up the cover in question.

Seriously, Vautour, what's unforgettable about some female of normal weight with incongruously large and obviously fake augmented tits? Isn't that pretty much the exact look of every other female porn star or wannabe bimbo these days?

The fact you think all porn stars have huge fake breasts tells me you haven't watched porn in years. Even beyond porn, there are plenty of looks men-and women-find appealing in women these days and porn reflects that. Hell, Hustler coined the term-and look-'barely legal' forever ago. What decade are you stuck in?

The fact you use terms like 'wannabe bimbo' tells me you're sexist knuckle dragger I figured you to be. Doubt anyone here is surprised. Which provides the answer to my question: 1950's

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm trying my hand at using a 3D software graphics program. It's DAZ3D.

There's a learning curve to get the models and lighting positioned properly. And some of the assets needed for good scenes might cost anywhere from $10 to $40 each, for a total investment of one or two hundred for any one scene. But you can create some realistic scenes from your stories.

​

View attachment 2154497 View attachment 2154498
These are scenes I've created from some of my stories.

One on the left wouldn't fly, that's called a "hand bra" but I love the one on the right, especially because its really hard to find good covers for group sex stories.

 

[Lifestyle66]

One on the left wouldn't fly, that's called a "hand bra" but I love the one on the right, especially because its really hard to find good covers for group sex stories.

Would this one fly as a book cover?

 

[lovecraft68]

Would this one fly as a book cover?

Honestly? Knowing amazon it depends on the day
Kidding, as are you

 

[Lifestyle66]

Honestly? Knowing amazon it depends on the day
Kidding, as are you

Damn! Now I have to put clothes on them.

 

[R. Richard]

Would this one fly as a book cover?

Not in Smashwords, they are death on butt cracks.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Not in Smashwords, they are death on butt cracks.

OK. No Hand bras, and no butt cracks!

My next steps in learning will be to try putting things into a Smashwords format to see how it does in public. So, I'll now need to rework those DAZ3D scenes as potential covers.

Then onward to an experiment in using artificial voices to perform an audio version of a book, by selecting various male and female voices to speak the dialog and removing the dialog tags. (I am a geek!)

I don't take any of this so seriously anymore. It's all for my own entertainment, learning the limits of new technologies, and trying to improve.