Singel Uitgeverijen
A Dutch publishing group that operates several literary, general-interest, and specialist book imprints.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Singel Uitgeverijen is a Dutch publishing group headquartered in Amsterdam. It operates a portfolio of established publishing houses and imprints serving the Dutch-language book market, while also publishing selected books under the Singel Uitgeverijen name itself. Its publishing activities span literary fiction, poetry, essays, memoirs, biography, history, translated literature, and other general-interest categories. The group’s principal publishing houses include Nijgh & Van Ditmar, Querido Verlag, De Arbeiderspers, Athenaeum, Polak & Van Gennep, De Geus, and Volt. The group brings together companies with distinct editorial histories and identities rather than presenting a single uniform consumer brand. De Arbeiderspers originated in 1929 as a socialist publishing enterprise formed through the combination of N.V. Ontwikkeling and the newspaper Het Volk, and later became known for expanding beyond its ideological origins into literary publishing. Its Privé-domein series of memoirs and autobiographical writing became one of its most recognizable long-running editorial projects. Nijgh & Van Ditmar has much older roots: the company began in Rotterdam in 1837, initially as a bookseller founded by Henricus Nijgh, and developed into a publisher after Willem Nicolaas Josua van Ditmar joined the firm; the combined name was adopted in 1870. Singel Uitgeverijen’s portfolio also includes publishing traditions associated with literary and translated works. Querido Verlag, Athenaeum, Polak & Van Gennep, De Geus, and Volt contribute different editorial profiles, allowing the group to address both established literary audiences and broader readers. The group additionally has a direct self-publishing operation, Brave New Books, developed in collaboration with the Dutch online retailer Bol.com. This platform gives authors a route to publish independently and extends Singel’s activities beyond conventional acquisitions and editorial publishing. The group has expanded and reorganized its portfolio over time. Nijgh & Van Ditmar became part of Singel Uitgeverijen in 2014. Conserve, a publishing house founded in 1983 by Kees de Bakker and known especially for historical novels, merged into Singel on 1 January 2019. Conserve titles subsequently appeared through the De Geus-Conserve and Volt-Conserve imprints. These developments illustrate a portfolio strategy based on retaining recognizable editorial labels while integrating their operations into a larger publishing organization. Singel Uitgeverijen is therefore best understood as a Dutch publishing house and multi-imprint group rather than as a single-format product brand. Its market identity rests on editorial breadth, the preservation of independent imprint histories, and the combination of literary publishing with specialist and self-publishing services. Publicly available reference material does not establish a specific founding year, ownership structure, current executive roster, financial profile, or stock-market listing for the group.
History
Singel Uitgeverijen is an Amsterdam-based Dutch publishing group whose portfolio consists of several publishing houses and imprints with separate editorial identities. The available reference material does not specify the group’s original incorporation date or founder. Its present profile is instead best explained through the histories of the publishing companies brought together under the Singel umbrella. One of the oldest businesses in the portfolio is Nijgh & Van Ditmar. Henricus Nijgh founded the company in Rotterdam in 1837, initially establishing a bookshop before moving into publishing. Nijgh also founded a newspaper in 1843 that later became the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant. Willem Nicolaas Josua van Ditmar joined the business, and his surname was added to the company name in 1870. Nijgh & Van Ditmar eventually became part of Singel Uitgeverijen in 2014, linking a nineteenth-century publishing tradition to the modern group. De Arbeiderspers was established in 1929 as a socialist publishing enterprise. It emerged from the combination of N.V. Ontwikkeling and the newspaper Het Volk, associated with the Dutch Social Democratic Workers’ Party. For many years the company maintained a strong ideological identity and was described as a socialist stronghold. Its early literary list favored regional novels and writers such as Herman de Man and A.M. de Jong, while literature was treated with some caution within the organization. A major editorial shift took place after Martin Ros joined De Arbeiderspers in 1964. Ros was brought in to broaden and challenge the company’s established outlook. Among his early acquisitions was the young poet Gerrit Komrij, whose formalist work did not fit the press’s earlier socialist profile. Ros also worked with director Johan Veeninga on the Privé-domein series, a collection of memoirs, diaries, and other autobiographical documents. The series began in 1966 with volumes associated with Mary McCarthy and Paul Léautaud and became one of the press’s defining long-term projects. Over approximately four and a half decades, nearly 300 books appeared in the series. The 1980s are identified as its particularly influential period, when Martin Ros, Theo Sontrop, and Emile Brugman were involved in its editorial development. Theo Sontrop joined De Arbeiderspers in 1972 and served as managing director until 1991. Ronald Dietz then succeeded him. During Dietz’s tenure, the company lost prominent authors including Jeroen Brouwers and Kristien Hemmerechts. Martin Ros resigned in 1997. In 2000, Gerrit Komrij moved to De Bezige Bij, increasing pressure on Dietz, who subsequently left his position. Rob Haans served as interim director. These leadership changes reflect the commercial and editorial pressures faced by established literary publishers during the period. The wider group also includes Querido Verlag, Athenaeum, Polak & Van Gennep, De Geus, and Volt. Their inclusion gives Singel a broad range of literary, translated, historical, and general-interest publishing capabilities. Books may also be released directly by Singel Uitgeverijen rather than through one of the named subsidiary imprints. Singel expanded its relationship with emerging publishing models through Brave New Books, a self-publishing platform operated in collaboration with Bol.com. The platform complements the group’s traditional editorial businesses by providing authors with an independent publication route. Another portfolio development concerned Conserve, a publishing house founded in Schoorl in 1983 by Kees de Bakker. Conserve specialized in historical novels and published authors including Cynthia McLeod. It merged into Singel on 1 January 2019, after which its books were issued under the De Geus-Conserve and Volt-Conserve labels. Today, Singel Uitgeverijen is characterized by a house-of-imprints model. The group combines the accumulated reputations and catalogs of older Dutch publishers with newer platforms and integrated operations. Public reference material does not provide enough information to identify its current parent company, owner, executives, financial results, or listed status.
- 2019
Conserve merges into Singel
[1]Conserve is merged into Singel Uitgeverijen, with its publishing program continuing under dedicated De Geus-Conserve and Volt-Conserve imprints.
- 2014
Nijgh & Van Ditmar is acquired
[1]Nijgh & Van Ditmar becomes part of Singel Uitgeverijen.
- 1966
Privé-domein begins
[1]De Arbeiderspers launches the Privé-domein series of memoirs, diaries, and autobiographical writing.
- 1964
Martin Ros joins De Arbeiderspers
[1]Ros is recruited to broaden the company’s literary outlook and helps move it beyond its earlier ideological publishing profile.
- 1929
De Arbeiderspers is established
[1]N.V. Ontwikkeling and the newspaper Het Volk are combined to create a socialist publishing enterprise.
- 1870
The Van Ditmar name is added
[1]Following Willem Nicolaas Josua van Ditmar’s involvement, the company adopts the combined Nijgh & Van Ditmar name.
- 1837
Nijgh & Van Ditmar is founded
[1]Henricus Nijgh establishes the Rotterdam business that develops from a bookshop into a publishing company.
Products and positioning
A multi-imprint Dutch publishing group combining literary prestige, long-established publishing traditions, translated and general-interest books, and selected self-publishing services.
Literary and general publishing · 1929
De Arbeiderspers
A historically socialist Dutch publishing house that developed into a broader literary publisher. Its list has included fiction, poetry, essays, and autobiographical writing. The Privé-domein series, launched in 1966, is its best-known continuing editorial project and focuses on memoirs, diaries, and related ego documents.
Book publishing · 1837
Nijgh & Van Ditmar
A Rotterdam publishing house with roots in 1837. Founded by Henricus Nijgh and later expanded under the Nijgh & Van Ditmar name, it represents one of the oldest publishing traditions in the Singel portfolio.
Memoir and autobiography series · 1966
Privé-domein
De Arbeiderspers’s long-running series of memoirs, diaries, autobiographies, and other personal documents. It began in 1966 and became a major part of the publisher’s literary identity, with nearly 300 volumes reported over its first approximately 45 years.
Self-publishing platform
Brave New Books
A self-publishing platform operated by Singel Uitgeverijen in collaboration with Bol.com. It provides authors with a route to publish books independently alongside the group’s conventional, editor-led publishing programs.
Historical fiction and specialist publishing · 1983
Conserve
A publishing house founded in Schoorl by Kees de Bakker in 1983, known especially for historical novels. After its 2019 merger into Singel Uitgeverijen, its books continued through the De Geus-Conserve and Volt-Conserve imprints.
Brand decisions
2019
Integrate Conserve into SingelM&ABackground
Conserve had operated since 1983 as a publisher specializing in historical novels and related books.
Action taken
Conserve merged into Singel Uitgeverijen on 1 January 2019.
Aftermath
Conserve titles continued under the De Geus-Conserve and Volt-Conserve imprints.
2014
Add Nijgh & Van Ditmar to the group portfolioM&ABackground
Nijgh & Van Ditmar was an established Dutch publishing company with origins in nineteenth-century Rotterdam.
Action taken
Singel Uitgeverijen acquired Nijgh & Van Ditmar and incorporated it into its publishing portfolio.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Singel’s collection of historically significant Dutch publishing houses.
Recent events
- 2019
Conserve merges into Singel Uitgeverijen[1]
M&A
Conserve was incorporated into Singel Uitgeverijen on 1 January 2019. Its books continued through the De Geus-Conserve and Volt-Conserve imprints.
- 2014
Nijgh & Van Ditmar joins Singel Uitgeverijen[1]
M&A
Singel Uitgeverijen acquired Nijgh & Van Ditmar, adding the historically significant Rotterdam publishing house to its Dutch-language publishing portfolio.
Sources2 sources
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