Authors can gain influence and impact with a strong book, even if it does not become a monster bestseller. Of course, every author wants to appear on a bestseller list and sell as many copies as possible  —  not just for the revenue but because the more copies that sell the more likely it is that the ideas contained in the book are “getting out there” widely.

The reality is that, of the hundreds of thousands of new titles that appear each year, very few sell in large quantity. For a business title, 30,000 copies sold is considered a hit and 100,000 a blockbuster. The few books that sell in the hundreds of thousands, or even a million plus (Good to Great has sold in the region of three million copies), are rarities.

So we are pleased that several IPI books have achieved hit or blockbuster status. In 2010, IPI collaborated with Vineet Nayar, CEO of HCL Technologies, on Employees First, Customers Second (Harvard Business Review Press). Since its publication, the book has sold some 90,000 copies worldwide and continues to spark lively conversations about the future of management.

IPI also helped to develop, research, and write Trading Up, by Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske, which has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and we also contributed to the creation of Real Boys by Dr. William Pollack which was also a 100,000+ seller.

The Change Monster by Jeanie Daniel Duck, which IPI helped to develop and write, continues to reach new audiences since it was published in 2001 by Crown Business, and recently surpassed 46,000 in sales.

strategy + business has named Higher Ambition: How Great Leaders Create Economic and Social Value by Beer, Eisenstat, Foote, Fredberg, and Norrgren one of its Best Business Books 2011: Ethics and Aspirations. James O'Toole, who reviewed the category, reports that "the book is significant....because it accurately reflects the way that many leaders of large multinationals demonstrate their social consciousness: They assert it."

And Higher Ambition is in good company: Starbuck's founder and CEO Howard Schultz's book, Onward, was also one of the three titles selected in the Ethics and Aspirations category. IPI collaborated with the five-author team from TruePoint Consulting on Higher Ambition.

Penguin has released a paperback edition of Mastering the VC Game: A Venture Capital Insider Reveals How to Get from Start-up to IPO on Your Terms by Jeff Bussgang. The book continues to sell steadily, as aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs rush to bookstores (or their mobile devices) to purchase the title.

Bussgang, a serial entrepreneur and partner at Flybridge Capital, interviewed nearly 20 successful venture capitalists and founders about their start-up experiences for this comprehensive guide to entrepreneurship. IPI collaborated with Bussgang on his debut book.

IPI's John Butman and Anna Weiss traveled around the world to China and India to conduct research for The Idea Entrepreneurs, which examines how people with personal fascinations create long-lasting social change. While in Beijing and Delhi, John and Anna met with and interviewed idea entrepreneurs who are tackling issues ranging from sanitation, tiger preservation, and corruption in India to environmentalism, education, and free speech in China. Over a period of two weeks, they visited countless bookstores, investigated issues of infrastructure, and spoke to as many people as possible — often while traveling in rickshaws, taxis, and buses. They also found time to hike the Great Wall and explore the winding streets of Old Delhi.

John Butman is the author of The Idea Entrepreneurs, although in the spirit of collaborative writing, the book has been collectively developed by the Idea Platforms team. It will be published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2012.