How does a new idea take hold in our society? How do we create meaningful change in a "crazy busy" culture? John Butman has been helping to identify and shape big ideas for individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations for 25 years. Now, in an upcoming book, Butman identifies a new kind of influencer that is shaping our society: The Idea Entrepreneurs.

These people – some famous celebrities, others less well known but with many devoted followers – are able to "change the mind of society" through a new and fascinating combination of education, entertainment, and commerce. They live their passions and often have endured significant personal sacrifice to bring their ideas into the world. Butman tells the fascinating stories of a dozen of these bold idea entrepreneurs and their driving concepts, including Greg Mortenson, Martha Stewart, Edward Tufte, and Bryant Terry.

Everyone who wants to bring a new idea into the world dreams of having it broadly understood and taken up. How to do this, though? Butman reveals that idea entrepreneurs achieve their influence in remarkably similar ways. He shows all the vital ingredients for making a "great ball of mush" into something that can – and does – change lives.

Butman himself is a master in the art of shaping ideas. From 1989, as principal of his own company Idea Platforms, Inc., he has developed and produced award-winning communications in a wide range of written and visual media for clients and partners in diverse fields of endeavor throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Clients include leading universities, major nonprofits and government organizations, successful businesses, and world-class management consultancies.

Butman has collaborated in the creation of more than 20 popular books and the full range of communications expressions (from speeches to tweets) that have brought his partners and clients national and international prominence as thought leaders. Recent bestsellers include Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood, which propelled its author, psychologist Dr. William Pollack, to become an international voice for boys' issues; and Trading Up: Why Consumers Want New Luxury Goods--and How Companies Create Them, which catapulted management consultant Michael J. Silverstein to international prominence in the business world. Soon, he will launch The Emotional Calendar, a collaboration with Harvard psychiatrist John R. Sharp on the effects of natural and cultural seasons on our emotions and behaviors.

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