Bob Dylan And Simon & Schuster Apologize For Using Autopen For 'Hand-Signed' Books

After it was revealed that Bob Dylan sold $600 books that included his autopen signature, the legendary singer is taking Shelter from the Storm, via fans' complaints.

Dylan issued a rare public statement saying it was an "error in judgement" to allow the books to be marketed as hand-signed when in reality they were done by autopen.

SIMON & SCHUSTER ISSUED CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICTY

Dylan released "The Philosophy of Modern Song," a collection of personal essays in early November.

Around 900 copies of the book were marketed and sold by the musician through publisher Simon & Schuster. The books were marketed as being "special edition signed."

A letter of authentication was included.

However, as fans began posting their autographs on social media, some astute observers noticed that every single one of them looked the same.

Simon and Schuster included certificates of authentication that the Bob Dylan autographed books were real, when they were actually autopenned. (Twitter: Justin Griner)

DYLAN SAYS HE'S BEEN BATTLING VERTIGO

Dylan blamed both the pandemic and suffering from vertigo for why he chose to auto-sign the books.

"In 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years... we could not find a safe and workable way to complete what I needed to do while the virus was raging," Dylan said.

Dylan then added: "So, 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."

Bob Dylan and Simon & Schuster sold books that included his autopen signature. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for ABA)

REFUNDS HAVE BEEN OFFERED

Personally, I think Simon & Schuster should be getting more of the blame. Someone had to have known that they were falsely advertising the books and approved it anyway.

The publisher eventually admitted its negligence and have offered fans a full refund. Of course this was only after they were called out for their error.

How about the fact that Simon & Schuster also included a certificate of authenticity? What is that about? This reeks of shadiness and is a terrible look for the memorabilia industry.

As of result of the publisher's dishonesty, fans are now concerned that other Bob Dylan autographs may not be legitimate.