KDP Publishing 03: Freeze One Authoritative Source

When the source keeps moving, every downstream check becomes decoration.

What You Will Produce

• Objective: Remove change marks and defects from one authoritative source and designate where SHA-256 records will be stored.
• Action: Mark defects in a sample source and complete the manuscript and asset freeze check.
• Evidence: A freeze record containing the authoritative path, freeze time, owner, and SHA-256 record location.

Choose One Authority

Name the manuscript and asset locations that own the truth. Copies used for export or review do not become new authorities. Identity fields such as title and author must agree across the source set.

Freeze with a Cryptographic Record

Remove tracked changes, comments, TODO markers, broken references, and missing figures. Record the freeze time and the SHA-256 location for both manuscript and assets. A filename alone cannot prove that the content is unchanged.

Practice: Run the Freeze Check

Find the sample defects, assign an owner, and state what must be rechecked after correction. If the source changes later, create a new hash and renew every affected build, preview, and approval.

Where This Fits in the Series

Closing Principle

Fix the source first, then regenerate the evidence that depends on it.

References

• Amazon KDP Help

This article is for preparation and quality assurance. Never capture or record passwords, cookies, tokens, tax identifiers, bank identifiers, or private manuscript identifiers.

Series Navigation

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Next: KDP Publishing 04: Produce Evidence for a Reflowable EPUB