I've been doing book covers for a few authors who publish their own books. I'm familiar with the concerns of publishers, but also know that DAZ can produce verfy realistic images. We all also know there are many artist who venture out lacking the skills to produce commercial art, unfamiliar with textures, shadows, poses, etc. This isn't the artist problem, it's the publisher who decides after looking at some art that doesn't meet their criteria that they want photos.

There isn't anything better than 3D art for illustrating a book. Actual scenes can be created and brought to life in the right hands. We need to search out the self publishers to introduce our work. The more 3D art out there the more it becomes mainstream.