Local independent publishing house ZI Publications has acquired the rights to publish a Bahasa Malaysia translation of Tom Wright and Bradley Hope's Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World.

Owner Zaid Ibrahim told Malaysiakini that ZI acquired the rights for Billion Dollar Whale from publisher Hachette Books about two months ago, and it is slated to launch the translated version in November.

“I feel this is an interesting book, and I think there should be a wider readership,” he said when contacted.

Zaid pointed out that to his knowledge, Mexico is the only other country that acquired translation rights from Hachette. 

As for the title, the former minister said the translated edition of the book will retain the title Billion Dollar Whale despite its contents being in Bahasa Malaysia.

This is because people are already familiar with the title, he said, and that it would be confusing to people if it is changed.

Billion Dollar Whale, by Wall Street Journal reporters Wright and Hope, portrays the Penang-born financier Low Taek Jho as a central figure in the 1MDB scandal.

The book was launched in New York on Sept 18, with Wright arriving in Malaysia yesterday on a promotion tour.

The authors spent three years researching and writing Billion Dollar Whale based on their reporting of the 1MDB scandal.

They are now in talks for a movie deal.

According to the book, a “whale” is a term used in the casino and nightclub industries to refer to their biggest spenders – an apparent reference to Low’s extravagant parties and large gambling bets as portrayed in the book.

Low had denied wrongdoing, and denounced the book as amounting to “guilty-by lifestyle, and trial-by-media at its worst”.