One option might be to license “one time use only” for the specific publication in question. This means what it says, and you retain all other use rights to license as you see fit. In this kind of deal you may be asked for “first publication” rights, meaning the photo has not been published before and publisher has the right to publish it for the first time. The trap in first rights deals is that a publisher may sit on the picture for an extended period without publishing it (or never use it at all), so you will want a sunset provision to cover that contingency.
Another option is to simply sell “all rights” to the picture, and be done with it.
The assignment of limited use rights, such as “one time only” deals ordinarily means less money up front, but the possibility of (a) additional payment for subsequent printings or editions, or (b) sales to other publishers, etc.. One problem you will face in that case is making sure your residual rights are honored and protected, which may not be a cheap or easy task.
Selling all rights to the image should bring higher payment up front, because that is all you will get out of the deal. A possible hitch here is that you might run into conflict over later sales of similar images, especially if the one in question is not particularly singular or unusual.
Of course, variations on these two basic options also can/might be negotiated. And don’t overlook internet use, which exposes your image to all sorts of theft possibilities.
If there is real (substantial) money in play, or if you think the image is extraordinarily unusual (nd therefore valuable) or if expect to be dealing in photo images on a regular basis, you probably should consult a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property rights.
G.
