Quote - I've had very little success with character packs previously.  What always seems to happen when I release a new character at 'Rosity is that about two people will buy it the first day it's available and then no sales are ever made after that.  What's worse, those two buyers always seem to have completely blank profiles/portfolios.  My most recent creation, Rachel for V4, broke that pattern briefly when someone bought her about two weeks after her release and actually published a render of her in the gallery (her textures, at least).

Unfortunately it's very difficult to get established in any MP, especially this one because there are dozens and dozens of vendors and many have a long term following and many potential buyers very rarely look at "unknowns" or new vendors. I know I'm guilty of not looking at all vendor stores here, in fact I look at very few. I usually go by what I see in banner ads at the top of the page, or check out vendors that I've previously purchased from. Most often I find what I'm looking for. I do know that I tend to buy from those whom I've had a chance to sample their work through freebies. I tried some of Neomea's freebie characters and as a result I have purchased nearly every character that she's put out, same with Rhiannon. I have a number of her characters too.

The best way to develope a following is to put out some freebies for people to try out. They don't have to be huge packages.... a morph and a texture, maybe 2 makeup options or a second skin.  This gives people an idea of what you are about and they are more likely to look in your store for more quality items.

Quote - To be honest, my earlier works aren't very good at all in retrospect, but I suppose that's natural as I keep getting better and better.  If I can get just one character pack on the market that sells on some semblance of a regular basis, I'll be happy.  I'm not looking to make a living off Poser content, but I would like to make some money to offset what I spend on other third-party content.

As I said, it's very hard to make money from vendor sales unless you have an established following. If you want a MP to make money, then you need to offer something that no one else, or few others are offering. Find a niche.  Take KymJ for example.  She does a great number of "older" figures that are "imperfect", and that's a niche. Not everyone wants such characters, but many do.  Look through the MP here and elsewhere and see what is "lacking".  Start another thread and ask people what it is that they want in a character...get some ideas that way.

Trying to compete with established vendors with items that they are selling, while not impossible, is very difficult.

So far as making money to off set poser expenses, why not try book or CD covers, or some clothing textures for clothing items that aren't already flooded with textures IE: Don't do the MFD!!!!  LOL

Quote - The reason for me being so cautious about changing the morph settings is that a truly beautiful face that looks good in more than one light set or camera angle is not as easy to come by as one might think.  I can't tell you how many times I've created a beautiful face in one light set then done a render using a different light arrangement that ends up making my beauty look like a beast!  My most recent problem has been Natalie's upper lip.  I've been back and forth with the LipTopEdgeHeight and LipTopCenterHeight morphs just because the top lip looks fine in one light set but too large in another.  I think I've finally nailed the right setting, but it's still quite annoying. 

In terms of the actual look I'm aiming for, it's sort of guided by the characteristics I personally find most attractive in a woman.  Doe eyes, plush lips, soft and rounded face, high cheekbones,  smallish nose, etc.  At the same time, I'm trying to avoid keeping these attributes within natural bounds so she doesn't look like some hyper-idealized doll.

Unfortunately no one ever got rich through caution. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and just go for it, you know?

Live on the edge! Don't be afraid to turn those dials so you completely get away from boxed vicky :)

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi