Cover pics : what do you like?

I am wrestling with the cover for my next story. I have one and I actually think it fits the title and story well, but it is not sexy. It ties to the plot, not the sexy stuff. I have alternatives that are sexy. Just not sure they fit as well. Still looking.

So what do Lush readers (and other writers) think? Should the cover image be "hot"? Is a good image that fits the story enough to get attention, or does it have to focus on the sexy part of the story?

Sex sells. The end. 😁

Sexy is good but don't count out other manner of intrigue or ways to arouse someone to open to the first page and start reading.

Me!!!!

I don't spend much extra time on a cover image for longer works, since they aren't visible until the story has been selected. The title, author note, and tags are far more important when trying to capture attention in the reading list. If I do add one, it's chosen as a visual enhancement of the story. Sometimes that's sexy, sometimes not.

It is somewhat different with Micros. In those, a good cover is like having an extra 100 words, setting place/time/character/flavor for free. That said, I haven't seen any different in readership with or without, but that may be a measure of my writing more than anything else.

Thanks all. I think I would like something "hotter", just having trouble finding the right image. But I am also with Kis and cuntlapperpmv, in that I don't think it always has to be sexy, or at least wish it didn't. I am ultimately about the story with sex as part of that. Usually. Obviously, that varies, esp. with shorter works that don't offer much time for developing story.

Hijacking the thread, this is the part I don't understand (the author sees this banner on any story without an image):

"Stories with cover images are more likely to get featured and receive more views."

Really? How? A fat Friends list and a boatload of followers (however garnered), certainly, but not an invisible image.

Quote by kistinspencil
more likely to get featured

This phrase is likely the key. The algorithms they use to select "featured stories" might include preferring stories with cover pics. And featured stories are supposed to be more likely to get viewed.

Anyhow, fiddling with cover stories is giving me a long overdue change to polish up my skills at fiddling with images in general on my new laptop.

It’s a shame they made the cover image so small on the screen and only portrait. I used to love making cover pics.

Algorithms choosing stories to feature based on a cover pic seems nuts when we don’t see a cover pic until we open the story. By that stage it’s too late to attract attention and I’ve never not read a story just because the cover pic wasn’t enticing.

The algorithm suggested one of my own stories for me to read which I found slightly bizarre.

I find I get roughly the same amount of likes and comments for every story which suggests I get the same readers every time.

Quote by deviantsusie
It’s a shame they made the cover image so small on the screen and only portrait.

They did crank up the resolution in one of the updates, which helps. Optimal is now 768 x 1200. But, yeah, landscape allowing for something like 1200x1024 would be nice. Makes for fairly large files, though, and slower loading times. And not optimal on a phone, which is probably part of the reason for the focus on portrait.

Quote by deviantsusie
when we don’t see a cover pic until we open the story

Don't quote me on this but I assume the reason for enforcing the portrait format is that, one day, the various front page and category story lists might incorporate covers too. Maybe even as a grid with title, one liner and cover pic, like browsing Amazon and other bookseller websites. Who knows.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

Don't quote me on this but I assume the reason for enforcing the portrait format is that, one day, the various front page and category story lists might incorporate covers too. Maybe even as a grid with title, one liner and cover pic, like browsing Amazon and other bookseller websites. Who knows.

Now that’d be a gallery worth browsing rather than the recycled porn gifs that clutter it up at the minute

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

Don't quote me on this but I assume the reason for enforcing the portrait format is that, one day, the various front page and category story lists might incorporate covers too. Maybe even as a grid with title, one liner and cover pic, like browsing Amazon and other bookseller websites. Who knows.

And as if by magic.. it happens.. love the carousel of cover images on some of the categories... makes me want to go back and redo some recent cover images properly now 😀

Usually, I go with a picture for the main female character. If it's a story set in 20th century, the picture will most often be black-and-white.

However, when I write a Teen story with an under-18 female character, I'm not allowed to post even a clothed picture for her, so I'll use something else; it could be a car, a juke-box, a picture for the main male character... It always depends on the story.

My cover pictures are always fully clothed; I prefer depicting nudity with my words.

Quote by deviantsusie
love the carousel of cover images on some of the categories

I'll pass that on, thanks. It's work in progress but is definitely a step up.

Quote by deviantsusie
makes me want to go back and redo some recent cover images properly

You and me both! A load of mine from early on haven't even got any covers. Not that they'll ever feature in the Popular lists nowadays, but hey. For completeness I might do it.

Just noticed the carousel thing earlier today. Very cool … and then I discovered that in the Bisexual category, one of my cover images is in it! Ironically, it’s a fully clothed image, although the covers for my latest couple of stories are definitely not.

By the way, given the (very reasonable) restrictions on cover images, I also have just started creating an alternate “cover image” that is more explicit, and posted that to my Wall with my story announcement, instead of just posting the official cover image. A wise man once said that sex sells!

I suppose the new banner will work just fine for well-trafficked categories, but not so much for the others. My latest Micro would be the third down chronologically on the main page list and obviously visible, but does not appear there at all. It is, instead, 7th on the Favorites banner and off the page to the right, so unseen by the casual viewer. Since it is unlikely to ever get any higher up the ladder as such, I have asked that the image provided be deleted. I have not heard back.

The popular story carousel is just the first step in using covers more widely across the site. Maybe in future, as adoption of covers becomes more commonplace, the covers will appear alongside the excerpt information in story lists. So don't be too hasty in deleting them

Quote by kistinspencil
My latest Micro would be the third down chronologically on the main page list and obviously visible, but does not appear there at all.

I raised this with tech last week.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

The popular story carousel is just the first step in using covers more widely across the site. Maybe in future, as adoption of covers becomes more commonplace, the covers will appear alongside the excerpt information in story lists. So don't be too hasty in deleting them

I just popped on to read a comp story and saw the carousel. Love it! Very professional looking, imo. I think authors and readers will enjoy that feature. Thank you, developers!

Mr Ape, back to your topic, I agree with WW that sex sells, but I'm more prone to finding pictures that match storyline. If it's mostly sex, pic will be too. If not, pic might not be either.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

The popular story carousel is just the first step in using covers more widely across the site. Maybe in future, as adoption of covers becomes more commonplace, the covers will appear alongside the excerpt information in story lists. So don't be too hasty in deleting them

I think having the carousel on the front page would help the uptake of covers. If your story is sitting there with a greyed out box you’d be more inclined to make a cover.

If the reason for the portrait cover has been communicated at the time rather than letting people bitch about it for a year, there’d have been less resistance and people would have more readily been designing covers to suit the new template in my opinion.

I love the idea of an Amazon type layout with cover and one liner. It would make people put more effort into both

I do this the popular stories stay on the front page for too long. A month seems excessive. In the old lush the popular list changed quite frequently

But that’s just my opinion x

I’ve only in the past few months started submitting cover images with my stories. Echoing both WBWS and Susie, I plan to start adding them to at least a few of my earlier stories.

Are the Mods prepared to deal with an increase in the number of submissions as we all do this? Also, if we update historic Comp entries (even my Noir entry lacks a cover), will they be removed from the official competition list because they have been updated?

As a reader, I don't believe an image is going to tell me anything about the story.
I don't buy books based on the dust-jacket.

None of the other proper story sites bother with them.

Quote by joe71

I’ve only in the past few months started submitting cover images with my stories. Echoing both WBWS and Susie, I plan to start adding them to at least a few of my earlier stories.

Are the Mods prepared to deal with an increase in the number of submissions as we all do this? Also, if we update historic Comp entries (even my Noir entry lacks a cover), will they be removed from the official competition list because they have been updated?

I've updated quite a few covers and the Mods do it very fast as they aren't rereading the story, just checking the picture doesn't break the ToS. I always put a note to the Mods to say I'm just adding a cover pic.

No, you don't lose anything.. all comments, likes and entries into competitions stay as is.

Quote by dlcalguy

As a reader, I don't believe an image is going to tell me anything about the story.
I don't buy books based on the dust-jacket.

None of the other proper story sites bother with them.

Most days, I find them more valuable as a what-not-to-bother-with.

Quote by deviantsusie
If the reason for the portrait cover has been communicated at the time rather than letting people bitch about it for a year, there’d have been less resistance and people would have more readily been designing covers to suit the new template

I was still hoping we'd be able to use landscape too and the designers would factor in a more flexible layout. It now seems that's not the case and the site is being modelled on other story sites that employ fixed aspect cover images. I don't think it was a deliberate omission in communication.

Now the cover designer has been added, those who don't have graphics packages of their own have the chance to easily add them to their stories.

Quote by deviantsusie
I do this the popular stories stay on the front page for too long. A month seems excessive. In the old lush the popular list changed quite frequently

This absolutely.

Quote by deviantsusie
the popular stories stay on the front page for too long. A month seems excessive.

Didn't realize they were there for so long. I'm sure it's changeable. Would weekly rotation be better do you think? I could certainly float the idea.

The popular stories/authors on v1 was a rolling 31 days

It's a month here too because it's linked to the top story/top author award, which is monthly. We can suggest rotating between the top 25 or so instead of just showing the top 4 all the time maybe.

Ah, good catch.