EReaders - Will We Really Put the "Book" Down?

I gave in and bought a Kindle this year after hee-hawing about it. I love my books. There's just something special about dog-earing a page so I can go back to it later (or use the passage during a book club discussion) or underlining key words or phrases. I like going back to a book I loved and easily finding why I loved it thanks to those dog ears and pencil markings. I like passing that down to my daughter.

Still, I see the allure of the Kindle. My husband constantly complains about the number of books and lack of space for them in our house. I only get rid of books I truly detested (goodbye Wicked, Count of Monte Cristo, and A Year in Provence), and even then I donate them to Goodwill. I would NEVER throw a book away or even recycle it. And, yes, I'd rather carry a Kindle with several books on it while traveling than several heavy books. (Although I must point out that my brother-in-law said he hates that he can't turn on his Kindle, and thus read, during take off and landing.)

And, most importantly, I realize the Kindle's importance in this new world of publishing. I am currently working on a YA book, and I can see the allure of publishing straight to Kindle (or other ebook formats) and skipping the cost of having paperback and hardback production.

Only time will tell exactly where we are heading, but I don't see too many horses pulling carriages these days, so I have an inkling. Still, I can see downloading a book on Kindle and then loving it so much I'd have to go out and buy the real thing.

What do you think? How long do you think it will be before the majority of books are direct-to-Kindle? What percentage of books do you currently buy vs. ebooks? What will this do for traditional libraries?

We'd love to know what you think. All comments are appreciated and wanted. Mom and I get a little lonely on this blog!