When a source passage is removed, review every illustration request connected to it. Mark obsolete requests as retired, preserve the reason, and check queued work, completed drafts, captions, and release assets. Do not let a reusable prompt or a previously generated image keep an abandoned explanation alive in the finished book.
Identify the passage and its visual dependencies
Give the removed passage a stable reference in the revision record, then list the image slots that depended on it. Some illustrations may explain the passage directly, while others may reuse its example, terminology, or character detail. Look beyond the image placed immediately beside the deleted text.
Distinguish removal from relocation. If the passage moves to another chapter, its image may still be useful with a new placement and context. If the underlying idea has been abandoned, moving the artwork elsewhere merely to preserve the effort can introduce an unsupported explanation.
Classify each request by its actual state
Separate requests that are only planned, waiting in a queue, currently processing, awaiting review, or already approved for release. Each state requires a different action. A planned request can be retired before submission; a completed image needs an explicit decision about whether it still has a supported role.
Record the state you can actually observe. If a provider operation cannot be canceled or its status is uncertain, do not pretend that marking a local checkbox stopped it. Preserve the request identifier and prevent any eventual result from being accepted automatically into the release assets.
Retire the request without erasing its history
Mark the image slot as retired and explain which manuscript decision made it obsolete. Keep the previous prompt and result identifiers available where they are useful for project history. This allows a later editor to understand why the image is missing without assuming that generation failed accidentally.
Use a distinct state from retryable failure. An obsolete request should not be picked up by a process that simply retries unfinished work. The difference matters when a long project resumes after a pause and reconstructs its next actions from saved records.
Review reusable prompts and shared references
A prompt template or shared visual brief may still contain the removed passage's assumptions. Check whether those details are reused by other images. A deleted scene might have introduced a prop that now appears throughout a character reference, or a withdrawn technical example might still shape several diagram requests.
Update shared material only after assessing the remaining images. Some details may still be valid independently, while others need removal everywhere. Record the scope of the change so the next generation pass does not alternate between old and new versions of the same visual guidance.
Reassess completed artwork on its current usefulness
Review completed images against the revised manuscript. An image can remain if it now answers a clear reader question supported by the text, but that is a new placement decision requiring review. Update its caption, description, and source connection rather than silently dropping it into an unrelated gap.
Do not retain artwork solely because it consumed time or generation credits. A polished image can still confuse the reader or preserve a claim the author intentionally removed. Keep unused drafts outside the set selected for final export so their existence does not imply approval.
Check the final package for retired material
Before export, compare the active image inventory with the manuscript's current slots. Look for retired images in alternate crops, cached previews, cover concepts, and companion files included in the release plan. Check captions and cross-references as well as the visible image itself.
Save the final state with the manuscript revision it belongs to. A resumed workflow should know both which images remain to be produced and which images must stay retired. That distinction helps text and artwork move forward together without rebuilding abandoned content from an older request list.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers for this publishing decision.
Should I delete an obsolete prompt immediately?
Preserve enough history to explain the decision, while clearly excluding the request from active work. A retired state is often more informative than an unexplained missing record.
What if an image finishes generating after the passage is removed?
Record the result against the retired request and keep it out of release assets. Review it only if you identify a new, supported use in the revised manuscript.
Can the artwork be reused elsewhere in the book?
Possibly, but make that an explicit editorial decision. Check the new reader purpose, surrounding explanation, captions, and any assumptions inherited from the original passage.
How do I get from an idea and a brief to an editable manuscript I can finish?
Write the brief first, generate a structure you can edit, then draft and revise the manuscript in reviewable sections so one change never overwrites work you already approved.
Start a book project from a brief