Simon and Schuster offer refunds over Bob Dylan signature scam
Esteemed publishing firm Simon & Schuster entered hot water this week after it was discovered that they had actually used a mechanised autopen system to emulate a uniform Bob Dylan “hand-signed” signature on copies of his new book The Philosophy Of Modern Song.
The signed copies of the popular new publication were limited to just 900 and were sold directly from Simon & Schuster’s website at $599 USD (£505). Fans became suspicious after comparing photographs of the signatures on social media platforms and seeing a telltale uniformity – nobody’s hand is that steady.
Variety has reported that a group of fans were able to isolate 17 variations of the signature by Sunday afternoon – just three days after the books were shipped – which were all identical in colour and form.
Simon & Schuster initially refused to honour requests for refunds, asserting that the signatures were legitimate and validated by a “letter of authenticity”. Ostensibly, the loss in revenue at risk made it worth the lie.
“We certainly understand any concerns you may have,” the company’s statement read. “However – each individual copy of the limited signed edition of Bob Dylan’s The Philosophy Of Modern Song was personally signed by the author and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from the publisher of Simon & Schuster.”
The “letter of authenticity” that fans received with the signed copies has allegedly duped Simon & Schuster’s CEO, Jonathan Karp, and falsely informed readers that “the copy of the book you hold has been hand-signed by Bob Dylan.”
With evidence, in the form of photos from angry customers circulating online, mounts up, Simon & Schuster have begun to change their stance on the situation and are offering refunds to those who request one.
An email sent to the complaining customers was signed by Karp and read: “We apologize for the mistake that was made and are offering a full refund of your purchase. Please keep your copy of ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song’ at no cost. We hope you will enjoy reading it.”
The publisher later admitted error or deceit on social media, writing: “To those who purchased The Philosophy Of Modern Song limited edition, we want to apologize. As it turns out, the limited edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”
The Philosophy Of Modern Song marks Dylan’s first original book since Chronicles: Volume One, released in 2004. It features more than 60 essays written by the legendary songwriter, as he discusses music by the likes of Elvis Costello, Nina Simone and Hank Williams. The audiobook release features a wealth of top-flight celebrities reading the passages, including Jeff Bridges, Helen Mirren, Oscar Isaac and Steve Buscemi.
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