Blaming "significant" sales declines in magazines and gifts, Books-a-Million has raised the estimate of its net loss in the quarter ending November 2 to a range of 14 cents to 16 cents per share, compared to an earlier estimate of 9 to 11 cents per share. Last year, the third-quarter loss was 11 cents a share. The company said it had suffered "softer than expected overall sales" during the quarter, but particularly in nonbook categories, such as magazines and newspapers, which did well following the September 11 attacks. The company further noted that it expects fourth-quarter earnings to be lower than previously estimated because of continued weakness in consumer demand.