"Under Review" status?

[zamakhtar]

I've been submitting to Clarkesworld Magazine and Fantasy Magazine and on the submission status page, I'll sometime see my work as "pending" and then later on as "under review" as it gets to the top of the queue. I'm just wondering, does that mean they are seriously considering my story for publication, or is it just a status every story goes through? I've seen this a few times, though I've never gotten a custom rejection back. From Fantasy Magazine, the best I've gotten is:

"Thanks for submitting this story, but I'm going to pass on it. It didn't quite work for me, I'm afraid. Best of luck to you placing this one elsewhere, and thanks again for sending it my way."

Anyone know if that's a message they send to everyone, or is it a promising sign? At first I thought it was promising, but I got the same message again.

Thanks!

[MJNL]

I'm pretty sure that's what the status just changes to when they start to look at it. That's a sandard rejection form too. I've gotten it plenty of times.

Sorry to burst any bubbles. I know what it feels like to want to read into any little pause in the process--ooh, they held it a week past the average they have on duotrope, must be a good sign. But, personal rejections (not to mention acceptances) are like orgasms-- if you have to question it, you didn't get one ;-)

[Izz]

I've been submitting to Clarkesworld Magazine and Fantasy Magazine and on the submission status page, I'll sometime see my work as "pending" and then later on as "under review" as it gets to the top of the queue. I'm just wondering, does that mean they are seriously considering my story for publication, or is it just a status every story goes through? I've seen this a few times, though I've never gotten a custom rejection back. From Fantasy Magazine, the best I've gotten is:

"Thanks for submitting this story, but I'm going to pass on it. It didn't quite work for me, I'm afraid. Best of luck to you placing this one elsewhere, and thanks again for sending it my way."

Anyone know if that's a message they send to everyone, or is it a promising sign? At first I thought it was promising, but I got the same message again.

Thanks!What MJNL said. What you've received is a form reject. And when your work goes from pending to under review that means it's currently being read. If it stays in the under review status for a few days, then that might mean they're seriously considering it. Or it might not, depending on other factors :)

[Truth and Fiction]

Sorry. It's best not to read into these online submission manager status remarks because generally they will tell you absolutely nothing.

[izanobu]

What they said. All it means is that it is under review. And that's the form rejection from JJA for Fantasy (and Lightspeed). Sorry :(