In a world where billions of books tempt readers with their silent calling, authors can probably agree on the importance of having a spectacular cover. A cover says a lot about what a reader will find once opening the pages.
So, the appearance of a model is important. If you're writing a sweet romance, a dressed hero and heroine would fit. If you're writing erotica, a spicy cover tells readers to hold on to their socks because it's a hot one. I'm not an expert cover artist, but for me, I like the subtle message that a cover sends. Please leave a little to the imagination. It's like the carrot dangling before my nose...entice me, tempt me, then pull out all of the stops within the story.
For instance, take a look at the three pics below. What do they say to you? We wouldn't snub our nose at any of these models, now would we? When I posted pic #1 and pic #2 on FB, asking which model do readers prefer, #1 won by a landslide. A few found the tats to be a turn off. But tats on a cover model tells you something about the hero, something you might want to know before you buy the book. I wouldn't slap #1 (maybe on the bottom, lol) on a sweet romance, not only because of the tats but he is sending a message that he likes to get down (if you know what I mean). He'd fit fine and dandy on my WIP, a firefighter, hot romance.
A reader who is looking for a sweet romance doesn't want to open a cover and see "cock" "tits" "BJ" and other naughty language. Vice versa, a reader looking for hot sex will be disappointed if a story lacks in heat. And the cover, well, it sends the subtle message. In other words, "Judge a book by its cover."
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