Bookstore sales rose 6.7% in July, to $1.13 billion, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The July gain followed a 9.8% increase in June and pushed bookstore sales up 0.7%, to $8.36 billion, for the first seven months of 2003. For the entire retail sector, July sales were up 6.2%, while sales from January through July rose 4.9%.