What about publisher's "imprints"?

Each imprint usually has its own acquisition policy (as well as its own preferred subject matter). Note I said usually. Rather than submit one blanket proposal and hope that it gets to the staff of the various imprints (unlikely), you'd probably be better served by researching each imprint as if it was its own publishing house and sending proposals to the ones that best fit your material.

Be cautious sending your work straight to the publisher. You should try and get an agent first and let them do it. The reason being is that, for the most part, once an imprint rejects your proposal none of the other imprints or the publisher to which they belong will accept your work. There may be exceptions, but with so few publishers out there, why chance it. Let an agent decide which house to submit your work to.

The answer is: It depends on the house.

eScotty said:

Also, do I submit to a particular title - e.g., Acquisitions Editor - or a particular person, e.g., Ms. Molly Smith, at each destination?

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Always submit to a real person. Submitting to "Acquisitions Editor" makes it look as if you didn't do your homework.

If you were submitting to imprints of large publishers in the US, I'd definitely recommend you get an agent--some of these imprints do accept unagented work, but they give it very low priority, and response times can be extremely lengthy. However, as I understand it, an agent is less necessary in Canada, with its very much smaller book market; so I think you could reasonably try to approach publishers on your own. (Please, someone, correct me if I'm wrong about this.)

Do carefully check the imprint's guidelines, though, to be sure that unagented submissions are welcome. The guidelines hopefully will also make it clear whether you can submit to multiple imprints of the same publisher, or one imprint only. Publishers vary widely in their policies on such things, and you really need to take it on a case-by-case basis.

- Victoria