Answer to several posts. No, it's not just the publishers, it is the authors requesting, NO POSER OR DAZ FIGURES. NO DIGITAL FIGURES.

Yes, for science fiction/fantasy/paranormal I've created dragons to use on covers. You're right, there are no photos of dragons. Authors don't have a problem with the mix of photo and digital fantasy as in dragons. It's the figures they have a problem with.

I own a publishing company and make covers for it. I am paid for my covers, yes, just like any other artist. Were I to do covers for a private self published author, yes, I would charge and the fee would depend on how many hours spent. Or for another publisher. I don't have time for outside projects though. (I have done a few freebies in the past to help out a friend who was stuck without a cover artist, but I wasn't as busy then.)

I agree that figures can be quite realistic, especially if an artist is well versed in using shadow and textures. If I had the time, I'd start producing more and put them on my website for authors to see so they could see that not all Poser/Daz created couples, men, women, are plastic. I'm still on a learning curve myself, though I've had Poser for years. Shadows is something I fight with, so I prefer to make the Poser covers I make for Viola Grace without shadows. The shadows created in Poser when rendering are too pronounced. I turn shadows off as a rule. Hers are fantasy and solo women, so simple and easy to do. I've made some nice ones, mediocre, and some I shake my head at... As long as the author is happy. That's all that matters.

Maybe I should start a website where artists can showcase possible covers for sale? Is that an idea? Something to ponder on. Thoughts, please? No, there wouldn't be a charge or anything. The artist would have his/her own pages and email address where to contact and buy a cover etc. It's just something I'm thinking about this morning, if I can gather enough interest. The way to sell, is also to keep prices low. For instance, I know of a stock photo site where their photos can be pretty much used as is. They charge between 20 and 30 dollars for a photo. If the covers are realistic enough, I bet a ton of publishers would be interested...  And there are publishers out there churning out books by the dozens. I bet they wouldn't mind cheaper prices... Also, an artist needs to be able to put on a title and author name in an attractive font etc. Thoughts?