Is it still worth self-publishing in 2026, or is the market too crowded now?

It's more crowded, but "crowded" and "impossible" aren't the same thing. The flood is mostly low-effort books — a well-edited book with a professional cover and a clear category already stands out from most of what's uploaded. What's changed is that you can't just publish and wait. The authors who do fine treat the launch as the start, not the finish: they pick a tight niche, build even a tiny email list before release, and keep writing. One book almost never moves the needle; the third or fourth is usually where things click, because now readers have somewhere to go after they finish. If you'd write the next one regardless, publish this one. If you're pinning everything on book one paying off, slow down and set expectations first.