Wallstein Verlag
Wallstein Verlag is a Göttingen-based independent German publisher, founded 1986, producing humanities scholarship and literary fiction across the Wallstein, Konstanz University Press, and Weidle Verlag imprints for academic and general readers in the DACH region and beyond.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersGöttingen, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Wallstein Verlag does
Wallstein Verlag GmbH is a privately held German independent publisher founded in 1986 and headquartered at Geiststraße 11 in Göttingen. The company operates a dual program in humanities scholarship (Geisteswissenschaften) — covering history, literary studies, philosophy, cultural studies, Holocaust and memory culture, and Jewish history — and contemporary literary fiction (Belletristik), including novels, poetry, essays, and plays. Its catalog includes irreplaceable complete-works editions and yearbooks for major German literary societies such as the Deutsche Schillergesellschaft and the Freies Deutsches Hochstift, and it publishes the literary journal die HOREN alongside dedicated series like the Ukrainische Bibliothek.
Wallstein Verlag firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wallstein Verlag
- Legal name
- Wallstein Verlag GmbH
- Website
- https://wallstein-verlag.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Wallstein Verlag is a Göttingen-based independent German publisher, founded 1986, producing humanities scholarship and literary fiction across the Wallstein, Konstanz University Press, and Weidle Verlag imprints for academic and general readers in the DACH region and beyond.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wallstein Verlag industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK), Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC), Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)
Keywords
Where Wallstein Verlag is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Göttingen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Wallstein Verlag business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Physical book sales: Wallstein generates revenue primarily through the sale of printed scholarly and literary books via its own online store, physical bookstores in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and international wholesale distribution. Prices for physical books range from approximately €14 to €26 for standard titles.
- E-book sales: E-books are sold through the publisher's own e-book platform (wallstein-verlag.e-bookshelf.de) in PDF and EPUB formats, and through third-party e-book retailers. E-book prices are typically lower than physical editions (e.g., €6.99 for Blütenneid PDF). The publisher notes that e-books become available after print publication for most titles.
- Open Access publication services: Through the BMBF-funded Wallstein-OA and AGOAH projects, Wallstein provides open access publication services for academic societies (Deutsche Schillergesellschaft, Freies Deutsches Hochstift) and collaborative humanities projects, funded by public research grants.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard literary and scholarly titles |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Premium and scholarly editions |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | E-books (PDF and EPUB) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Wallstein Verlag product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wallstein Verlag is an independent German publishing house founded in 1986 in Göttingen, focused on humanities scholarship (Geisteswissenschaften) and literary fiction (Belletristik). The publisher produces monographs, edited volumes, complete works editions, yearbooks, novels, poetry collections, and essays, and operates several imprints including Konstanz University Press and Weidle Verlag. It also publishes the literary journal "die HOREN" and runs BMBF-funded open access projects (Wallstein-OA, AGOAH).
Product overview
Wallstein Verlag operates as a unified publishing house with multiple imprints and product lines. The core offering is the Wallstein Verlag brand encompassing academic and literary publishing. Supporting the main brand are two imprints: Konstanz University Press (academic/scholarly focus) and Weidle Verlag (literary focus). The company also produces the literary journal 'die HOREN' and maintains specialized book series including the 'Ukrainische Bibliothek.' Digital products include e-books available through distribution partners. The publisher's offerings are distributed through the Nomos eLibrary and the dedicated e-bookshelf.de platform, with fulfillment handled by Germinal Medienhandlung GmbH.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wallstein Verlag literary and academic publishing program Main publishing program of Wallstein Verlag covering humanities monographs (history, literary studies, philosophy, cultural studies, Holocaust studies), literary fiction (novels, poetry, essays, plays), complete works editions, and yearbooks of major German literary societies. Targeted at academic researchers, university libraries, and general literary readers in the DACH region and internationally.
- Konstanz University Press Academic imprint focusing on humanities and social sciences publications from the University of Konstanz, covering ethnology, history, culture, art and media studies, literature, philosophy, politics, sociology, and the history of knowledge. For academic researchers, university libraries, and students.
- Weidle Verlag Literary imprint focusing on German-Jewish exile literature and the history of the Kurt Wolff Verlag, featuring authors such as Hermann Borchardt, Albrecht Joseph, and Eric Schaal. For literary readers, scholars of exile studies, and academic libraries.
- Hamburger Edition
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple major literary prizes annually for published authors
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Wallstein Verlag
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Wallstein Verlag technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Wallstein Verlag partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Konstanz University PresscoreKonstanz University Press was taken over as an imprint of Wallstein Verlag effective January 1, 2018. The university press focuses on humanities and social sciences, covering subjects including ethnology, history, culture, art and media studies, literature, philosophy, politics, sociology, and the history of knowledge. The transfer was decided by the editorial board and the university.
- Weidle VerlagcoreThe program of the Bonn-based Weidle Verlag was continued as an imprint of Wallstein Verlag from Göttingen. The Weidle program includes publications on German-Jewish exile literature (with authors such as Hermann Borchardt, Carl Zuckmayer's friend Albrecht Joseph, and photographer Eric Schaal) and books on the history of the Kurt Wolff Verlag. The takeover was described as a natural and organic complement to the Wallstein program.
- Hamburger EditioncoreThe Hamburger Edition was announced to be continued as an imprint of Wallstein Verlag starting January 1, 2028. This further expands Wallstein's scholarly publishing reach in the field of contemporary history.
- Germinal Medienhandlung GmbHcoreGerminal Medienhandlung GmbH (based in Fernwald, Germany) handles fulfillment, invoicing, and shipping for Wallstein's physical book orders. The company is responsible for order processing, payment collection, and delivery logistics on behalf of Wallstein Verlag.
- AVA Verlagsauslieferung AGminorAVA Verlagsauslieferung AG serves as Wallstein's Swiss distribution partner, handling deliveries to Swiss customers and providing invoicing in Swiss Francs.
- Deutsche SchillergesellschaftcoreWallstein has partnered with the Deutsche Schillergesellschaft to publish the Jahrbuch der Deutschen Schillergesellschaft (Yearbook of the German Schiller Society) as both print and open access editions through the Wallstein-OA project.
- Freies Deutsches HochstiftcoreWallstein partners with the Freies Deutsches Hochstift to publish the Jahrbuch des Freien Deutschen Hochstifts as both print and open access editions through the Wallstein-OA project. Both publications have been appearing as print editions since 1957 and 1902 respectively.
- 10 Kooperationspartner (AGOAH project)coreThe AGOAH open access project involves 10 cooperation partners who collaborate with Wallstein to convert 15 book series, 56 titles, and over 700 individual contributions to open access over a 3-year period, funded by the BMBF.
- Stiftung niedersächsische GedenkstättenminorThe Stiftung niedersächsische Gedenkstätten (Foundation for Lower Saxon Memorial Sites) is a long-term cooperation partner of Wallstein Verlag in the field of Holocaust education and memory culture. The foundation was the target of a criminal attack in 2023, which Wallstein publicly condemned.
- Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung / Wüstenrot StiftungcoreWallstein cooperates with the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung and the Wüstenrot Stiftung on joint publication projects including the complete annotated works of Annette Kolb and Irmgard Keun, as well as Carl Schurz's memoirs.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Wallstein Verlag competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Suhrkamp Verlag: Berlin-based independent literary and scholarly publisher with comparable humanities monograph and literary fiction programs and a similar tradition of prize-winning authors. Direct competitor for prestige literary authors and humanities scholarship in the DACH market.
- S. Fischer Verlag: Major German literary and academic publisher with deep humanities catalog and blue-chip literary author relationships. Highly comparable editorial positioning across literary fiction and scholarly nonfiction.
- Böhlau Verlag: Vienna-based humanities and social science academic publisher with comparable society-publishing and monograph orientation, including a Jubilee Prize program cited in Wallstein's awards record.
- Reclam Verlag: Stuttgart-based publisher of literary classics, scholarly editions, and series — comparable in the literary-scholarly hybrid space and in producing affordable, widely distributed academic editions.
- Klaus Wagenbach Verlag: Independent Berlin publisher with strong humanities, literary essay, and translated literature program. Closely comparable indie scale and editorial DNA in German intellectual publishing.
- Carl Hanser Verlag: Independent Munich-based publisher with parallel dual focus on quality literary fiction and academic/scientific titles. Comparable profile of prize-winning authors and humanities monograph publishing.
- Matthes & Seitz Berlin: Berlin-based independent publisher specializing in humanities, philosophy, and literary essays. Most comparable small-scale indie peer with similar scholarly/literary hybrid positioning and DACH focus.
- Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: Göttingen-based academic publisher with deep humanities and social-science monograph catalog. Direct competitor for scholarly society partnerships and university-press-style content.
Broad incumbents
- DuMont Buchverlag: Cologne-based literary publisher with strong literary fiction and nonfiction programs. Overlaps with Wallstein on literary authors but operates at meaningfully larger scale and broader genre coverage.
- C.H. Beck Verlag: Munich-based broad incumbent publisher of academic, legal, and humanities titles. Larger and more diversified than Wallstein but overlapping significantly in scholarly monographs and humanities reference works.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wallstein Verlag social profiles
Digital presenceWallstein Verlag financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wallstein Verlag leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Wallstein Verlag subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Wallstein Verlag funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wallstein Verlag M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wallstein Verlag
What does Wallstein Verlag do?
Wallstein Verlag is an independent German publishing house founded in 1986 in Göttingen, focused on humanities scholarship (Geisteswissenschaften) and literary fiction (Belletristik). The publisher produces monographs, edited volumes, complete works editions, yearbooks, novels, poetry collections, and essays, and operates several imprints including Konstanz University Press and Weidle Verlag. It also publishes the literary journal "die HOREN" and runs BMBF-funded open access projects (Wallstein-OA, AGOAH).
Is Wallstein Verlag a public or private company?
Wallstein Verlag is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Wallstein Verlag founded?
Wallstein Verlag was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Wallstein Verlag based?
Wallstein Verlag is headquartered in Göttingen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Wallstein Verlag make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Physical book sales are the primary driver. The others are E-book sales and open Access publication services.
Who are Wallstein Verlag's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Suhrkamp Verlag, S. Fischer Verlag, Böhlau Verlag, Reclam Verlag, Klaus Wagenbach Verlag, Carl Hanser Verlag, Matthes & Seitz Berlin and Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. Broad incumbents are DuMont Buchverlag and C.H. Beck Verlag.
Does Wallstein Verlag have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wallstein Verlag.
What industry is Wallstein Verlag in?
Wallstein Verlag's product category is Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAJ, Research Monographs & University Press Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJABAK, Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.