YES! Exactly. On all points, and most especially the last one. I dislike the branding thing intensely, and although I understand it and why it is (arguably) necessary, it has already forced me to split myself across three pen names because of people's 'expectations'.

Absolutely my point about romance. As a genre, it now seems to mean anything from 'pr0n' to 'has mild romantic elements', which I find incomprehensible, and suspect wouldn't happen if it wasn't identified as a 'female' genre. (Whole other debate there.) Over-classification and labelling might make it easier to find things on Google, but I can't avoid feeling they don't really help anyone.

I completely, utterly agree about the dichotomy with publishers. They don't want 'new' or 'different', however much they say they do. They want 'pretty much the same as the rest of the market, along safe and marketable guidelines, but with enough minor differences to be mildly innovative'. Again, I can understand it, but I don't have to agree with it.