Bestselling Author Visits Wine Library for Book Signing

New York Times bestselling author, social media powerhouse and Wine Library TV founder, Gary Vaynerchuk, signed copies of his books Friday afternoon at his family-owned vino emporium, Wine Library.

The man who helped take the business from $3 million in 1997 to $45 million eight years later posed for pictures with fans, known as Vayniacs. All said they are eager to read his latest missive 'Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World,' which was released Tuesday and described as a "blueprint to social media marketing strategies that really work."

Jimmy Mino, regional director at Virtual Properti.es, who traveled from Elizabeth to meet the social media maven in person, said he finds Vaynerchuk's writing "very insightful." 

"The first one ('Why Now Is the Time to Crush It!') is awesome, as is the second ('The Thank You Economy')," said Mino, who purchased 20 copies of Vaynerchuk's latest to give as gifts. 

A consummate entrepreneur, Vaynerchuk was managing seven lemonade stands throughout his Edison neighborhood by the age of 8 and has been building brands ever since.  

In spring of 2009, he and his brother AJ launched VaynerMedia, a new agency aimed at helping Fortune 500 companies like GE, PepsiCo, Green Mountain Coffee, the NY Jets, and the Brooklyn Nets find their social voices.

Wine Library's Wine Director Ian Dorin said the business tries to make Black Friday a great, fun event for shoppers each year and having Vaynerchuk in the store is an added bonus. Dorin explained that while Vaynerchuk's dad, Sasha, always retained ownership of the business, Gary took his ideas and helped reshape it. 

Vaynerchuk, who recently spoke before a standing-room-only crowd at UBS Financial Services Inc. headquarters in Manhattan at the request of former Springfield resident Mitch Slater, said when it comes to social media and business, it's all about giving, not selling.

In the spirit of giving, Wine Library visitors were invited to sample three special wines, ranging in price from $130 to $230 a bottle, in honor of the official start of the holiday shopping season. Though they enjoyed the tasting, devotees of the storytelling entrepreneur said it was Vaynerchuk's energy that they wished they could bottle.