Bookstore sales inched up 0.8%, to $1.04 billion, in April, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. The slight gain stopped a two-month streak during which sales fell in comparison to the same months in 2001. Sales for the entire retail segment rose 4.6% in April. Largely due to the 28% increase in January, bookstore sales were up 8.2% for the first four months of 2002, to $5.47 billion. Sales for all of retail rose 3.4%.