Christine Svendsen founded Sapphire Books Publishing in 2010 in Salinas, California as a one-person press. Her goal was to provide a lesbian-run publishing house for lesbian writers to tell their own stories. Over the years, the house has grown.

Today, 16 years later, the press has released dozens of titles in literary fiction, memoirs, genres including mystery, and non-fiction. In particular, they highlight their romances. Titles range from deeply personal to light, fluffy comfort reads.

Readers can follow Sapphire Books developments on their Facebook page or on their website.

[1] CURVE Staff, “Sapphire Books, A Cut Above,” CURVE, November 5, 2020, https://www.curvemag.com/blog/literature/sapphire-books-a-cut-above/.

[2] “Sapphire Books,” Duotrope, accessed June 9, 2026, https://duotrope.com//publisher/sapphire-books-36288.