New York, US: The veteran American Singer-Songwriter Mr. Bob Dylan has apologized for the controversy around signed copies of his new book, stating that “using a machine was an error in judgment”.
Earlier this week, Publishing Company Simon & Schuster confessed that “hand-signed” copies of Mr. Bob Dylan’s new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, were in fact printed with an autopen technology, which employs a machine to automatically replicate a person’s signature.
Early in November, a limited edition of 900 “hand-signed” volumes of the book containing the legendary singer-songwriter’s commentary on songs by other artists was made available for purchase for $599. All copies came with a letter of authenticity from the publisher, Simon & Schuster.
As customers started receiving their copies, several posted pictures of their books online and soon discovered they had identical signatures.
During the pandemic, it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn’t help. With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.
Mr. Dylan posted in Facebook.
In the statement posted on the Facebook page, Mr. Dylan apologized to fans by stating that the autopen was suggested to him as an idea after he was suffering from illness and vertigo in 2019, making him unfit to sign the books himself.
Mr. Dylan concluded by adding that “using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately.”
Earlier, Simon & Schuster also apologized for the controversy surrounding the book and offered refunds to any purchasers who were not happy.