MAT LLOYD

Available for the first time on Amazon is my second collection of poetry 'The Cracks and Curbs EP'. Originally published in late 2015 and reissued every year since, it’s previously only been available from this website and from my own hands after gigs. Last year when I sold the final copies of the latest reprint I decided it was time to let someone else handle the distribution of future copies so I can focus on new work.  I am truly humbled by everyone whose purchased a copy of 'The Cracks and Curbs EP', but if you missed out now's your chance to get a copy:

Get on Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1796638587
Get on Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/1796638587
Get on Amazon France https://www.amazon.fr/dp/1796638587
Get on Amazon Germany https://www.amazon.de/dp/1796638587

Why Amazon now?

Amazon has changed the level of support it givers authors through it's publishing platform. 'Demo Tape' my first collection netted me £0.23p per sale, and the only way this could be improved was if I hiked the price of the book up. With Amazons new setup I can keep the price at £5.99 and still get a respectable amount per copy purchased. It also means everyone who missed out on 'The Cracks and Curbs EP' or just wants to check it out can now get a copy across the world and Amazon handles the publishing, printing and delivery!

What's next?

Ok, first things first.  I am writing this on my MacBook Pro, and I love my MacBook Pro!  I use my MacBook Pro to edit photos, videos, podcasts and sometimes a little music.  It's awesome and I genuinely believe if my house burnt down, I'd only be gutted about losing my skateboard (of course) and my laptop...everything else can burn.

The only problem I have with my laptop is that I just can't seem to write new poetry on it.  By that I mean, for some reason, typing ideas/lines for a new piece on my laptop, seems to sap the creativity out of me, and I find myself staring at a blank screen.  Seriously I can have a great idea (of course I'd say that) and by the time I've loaded up 'Word', it's just floated out of my head.  It's like staring at my laptop screen automatically gives me 'writers block', well 'poetry block' to be exact.
Like many writers I tend to opt for a pad & pen, I'm rarely without one close at hand, but I do see more and more poets writing into their phones.  I've done quite a few gigs recently where poets will stand up and read directly from their phones (it infuriates me when they pause to scroll down).  I use my phone as an absolute last resort when it comes to writing on the go as it seems to have the same effect as my laptop.

To make me sound even more kooky (read eccentric), and I'm not try to be 'that guy', about a year ago I bought a typewriter.  Yep an old skool Seiko Silver Reed SR180 Deluxe, it's older than me and I love it!  Maybe even more than my MacBook.  It doesn't seem to have the same effect that writing on my laptop has and whilst it can be frustrating to have to type something out repeatedly due to the lack of a delete button and my sausage fingers, this repetition is helping me learn the piece!  It also looks pretty great on my Instagram too!  Obviously it hasn't replaced the need for my note pad and certainly isn't as portable as my laptop but there is something pleasing about banging away on those keys.  And if like me, your handwriting fluctuates from readable to what the fuck is that mess - a typewriter makes a lot of sense.

Maybe I'm just a paper and ink type of writer?  What's your choice? Are you a pen and paper writer or are you all about the digital?

PS. a lot of people ask me about the note book in the picture, it's from Explorer Press.