Canadians declare March to be "Read an E-book Month"

The Canadian Parliament passed a motion declaring the month of March “Read an E-Book Month.”

The Order reads:

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) recognize that the ePublishing industry has created economic opportunities for entrepreneurs, authors, publishers and e-reader manufacturers; (b) recognize that e-books present significant benefits for seniors and children; (c) recognize that e-books are an environmentally-friendly alternative to books; (d) declare the month of March as "Read an E-book Month"; (e) support the goals and ideals of "Read an E-book Month; and (f) encourage Canadians to observe "Read an E-book Month".

Canadians are leading the world in promoting e-books by recognizing not only the benefits to the readers and the environment but also sees e-books as opportunity for economic development for Canada.  This is something that is not emphasized enough in the U.S. and it is something that book retailers should recognize.  That is, there are new ventures that are being established in this industry and retailers should be thinking about ways to work with these potential partners.