Aahana Swrup
In recounting the life story of Argus J. Pratt, the true crime docuseries ‘The Tailor of Sin City’ bases itself on his memoir, ‘The Tailor: How I Dressed Elvis, Escobar, the Mob…and Became the Las Vegas King of Cocaine.’ Simultaneously, it also benefits from the accounts of several individuals who had connections to the central tailor, his various high–profile clients, or experts who can back up or negate the historical accuracy of Pratt’s misadventures.
Therefore, Sal Manna, the author who co-wrote Pratt’s memoir with him after extensively discussing and researching the latter’s past, remains an intrinsic part of the docuseries’ narrative. Given his prominent involvement in the show—as well as his scholarly past with Pratt, viewers must have grown intrigued by the author himself, compelled to grow invested in his life!
Sal Manna and Argus J. Pratt’s Collaboration
Sal Manna’s work in bringing AJ Pratt’s story to the public has been in the works for a long time. The author began interviewing and discussing the tailor’s past in the early 2000s, even managing to get Pratt on video interviews to regale tales from his wild days. Even so, while Manna remained a devoted recipient of the other man’s history, he also sought to reign him back to the reality of things whenever the latter would fall to his habit of exaggeration and fabrication.
Consequently, as a historian, Manna continuously sought out the truth as he compiled Pratt’s history into the memoir, ‘The Tailor.’ Even though Pratt ended up passing away in 2016, a few years before the book’s 2021 release, his co-author successfully immortalized his memory through his writing. Similarly, Manna continues to remain an intrinsic part of the tailor’s legacy as he recounts his experience and research for ‘The Tailor of Sin City’ docuseries. The 2024 documentary also remains the author’s most recent mainstream public venture.
Sal Manna is Decades Into His Journalism/Writing Career
Sal Manna has been thriving in his career as a journalist and writer for a long time now. He has co-authored five true crime/historical books in the last few years, including Jimmie Walker’s 2012 memoir, ‘Dynomite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times–A Memoir.’ Moreover, his freelance writing has also been published in various notable publications, from The Los Angeles Times and Boston Herald to Playboy and People. As a result, his bibliography has been expansive and extensive, highlighting the work he has done with historical accounts. In fact, he has been the President of the Society for the Preservation of West Calaveras History since founding the nonprofit in 2006.
Today, Manna continues to undertake new literary endeavors with his most recent literary work, ‘A Few Bad Men: The True Story of US Marines Ambushed in Afghanistan and Betrayed in America.’ The author co-wrote this war-centered historical novel with retired Marine Corps officer Fred Galvin, publishing the work in 2022 to favorable reviews. Furthermore, he continues to expand his journalistic work through Valley Springs News, a local publication where he helms the monthly column, ‘Something From Nothing.’ In this column, Manna discusses local history with ‘The Great San Quentin Prison Break,’ becoming his most recent August 2024 update.
Sal Manna’s Work is Being Turned Into a Film
Fans of Sal Manna’s work will be excited to know that after ‘The Tailor of Sin City,’ another one of the author’s works is being picked up by Hollywood for a screen adaptation. However, this time, instead of a documentary, Manna’s debut book, ‘The King of Sting: The Amazing True Story of a Modern American Outlaw,’ is set to be adapted into an action-comedy feature. As of now—names like production company Silver Reel and writer Eran Creevy are attached to the project. Although Manna’s potential involvement with the project remains unknown, it is possible he may be open to becoming a part of the conversation, considering his significant contribution to the AJ Pratt docuseries.
Nevertheless, given Manna’s rather private life, minimal updates remain available about his future plans—professional or otherwise. Due to his active participation in the Calaveras community—through his newspaper column and other endeavors—it is public knowledge that the author is a West Calaveras resident currently living in Burson, California. Nonetheless, his distance from social media or any other avenue of continuing a consistent public presence leaves much of his life hidden behind an intentional veil of privacy.
Read More: AJ Pratt: Who Was He? Who Were His Clients? How Did He Die?
