Barbara Grier, the founder of Naiad Press, what was once the world's largest publisher of literature about gays and lesbians, died Thursday at 78 in Tallahassee, Fla. She had been battling cancer, said her partner in life and business, Donna McBride.
Grier launched Naiad with McBride and two other women in 1973 with a $2,000 investment, building the press while holding other day jobs. Their first big success came in 1983 with Curious Wine, a novel by Katherine Forrest that sold more than 400,000 copies. Naiad was publishing 36 books per year at the time Grier and McBride sold it to Bella Books in 2003 at the time of her retirement.
Grier once said, “We’re doing this because of commitment as well as money. We’re getting to live our lives exactly as we want to — and make a living. We’re getting rich and we’re happy and what more can you ask for?’’
