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Originally Posted by gmw
Quoth sort of covered it, except that copyright for art and photographic works is different to written material. Go with old enough art and you'll be fairly safe, but don't make too many assumptions about more recent works. If you're not creating your own from scratch it can be advisable to source images from one of the various stock image sites available (gettyimages and Wikimedia Commons are well known but there are many many others).
Also, I thought I might emphasise the care needed when sourcing even very old material...
I had epigraphs lined up for each of the three books of my trilogy but ended up only using the first ( because the latter two came from songs still covered by copyright and getting permission was going to be more trouble than it seemed worth for epigraphs). BUT even the first, taken from The Republic by Plato was potentially more complicated than it looks because I needed an English translation - so I had to be sure to choose a translation not still under copyright.
You can face similar issues with images where the capture itself may be covered under certain circumstances. (eg: Quoth mentioned some old art needing lots of touch-up, such an image may qualify for copyright in its own right.)
Of course the question remains whether you should actually be creating your own cover anyway. Perhaps you have the skills and experience to do a professional job. Or perhaps you are creating these books for purposes other than enticing the general public to buy them. But if one of those isn't true, professional help is strongly advised.
And lastly. Carts before horses come to mind  . Get the book written then worry about publication details like titles, covers, editing and marketing. |
You are absolutely right about carts before horses. If you don't mind, please link to your trilogy. Would be delighted to try your books.