THE BIZ : Sincerely, (Fill In the Blank)

When thousands of fan letters start pouring in each week, what’s a star to do? Contact a mail wrangler, that’s what.

These businesses--there are no more than 10 in Los Angeles--are hired by studios and celebrities to field fan letters. Lots of fan letters. As many as 2,000 a day at Canoga Park-based Mail Pros, which has seven people reading the mail. And Mail Mann of Sherman Oaks has six people scouring three or four bags of mail every morning. The wranglers respond with letters, postcards, glossies--depending on what the star or studio wants and how much they are willing to spend.

Though neither company will identify specific clients, Mail Pros’ Joyce Hoffner says her firm works with stars from “Melrose Place,” “Baywatch” and “Days of Our Lives.” “Marriage proposals, invitations to parties, bar mitzvahs, confirmations,” says Hoffner, “we get everything.” It’s a rare letter that actually gets to the star, but, she adds, one with lots of personality might get a note recommending that the star read it. “Humorous mail,” she says, “is always good.”