SINEAD O’CONNOR has divided fans with the confession that she used a stamp to sign copies of her upcoming new memoir.
The book, titled Rememberings, is due to hit the shelves on June 1.
Ahead of its release, fans were able to pre-order special “signed” copies of the much-anticipated tome.
Indeed, signed copies of the book have proven so popular some have even begun auctioning them off on eBay after they sold out online.
However, the provenance of these limited-edition books has been thrown into doubt after the Nothing Compares 2U revealed she actually used a stamp to sign the books.
O’Connor, who has gone by the name Shuhada Sadaqat since becoming Muslim in 2018, tweeted the she used the stamp because she was “unwell” at the time.
“The books which are signed, I signed using a signature stamp as I was not in a position to hand write my name ten thousand times, which is how many I was asked to sign,” she said.
“My son was unwell as was I. So I stamped them myself. And it is my signature.”
The admission has drawn a mixed response with fans online while several retailers including Waterstones have already moved to pull the signed copies from sale.
Some of her followers were entirely sympathetic.
“That's what I admire you, your honesty,” one fan wrote.
“Signed or stamped, it doesn't matter to me. It's what's in the book that matters. Family always comes first.”
“You don’t need to explain anything to anyone. Do whatever you need to do to be happy,” another said.
Others, however, entirely disagreed with her use of the stamp.
“No she does. Because they were offered as “signed”. Well they’re not signed, so that is fraud. If she can’t do it, then she shouldn’t have agreed to it. I’m sure a contract was involved,” one disgruntled follower commented.
Another said: “I understand her reasonings but when you purchase something that says it’s signed, you expect it to hand signed by the person. And that was not the case. She informed afterwards. I know it’s hard to sign all of them, but it was said to be signed. Not stamped.”
O’Connor also revealed she was ceasing all further promotional events ahead of the book’s release after admitting it had dredged up difficult memories from her past.
“This is to announce, I have done three weeks promo for my book, I am now pulling all further promo because the past is not a happy place for me to be dwelling in,” she said.
“The present is much more enjoyable and I have to take care of my emotional well-being.”
The singer announced plans for the memoir back in December.
O’Connor has described Rememberings as a “revelatory” read with the book reflecting on her “fraught childhood, musical triumphs, struggles with illness and the enduring power of song”.
“This is my story, as I remember it. I had great fun writing it over the past few years."
