Indb or Not?

Question

Most of the publications I create in InDesign are 4-8 pages and it's easiest for me to just use a template that contains a cover page, inner pages, and a back cover all in one ID file. Occasionally, I need to make larger books (rarely more than a combined 36 pages), with a cover, inside cover, ToC, separate types of inner pages, an index, an inside back cover page, and a back page. These I make as separate files linked within an indb, continuing the tradition of the way they've been done before I got here.
Aside from the fact that it's faster to open each of the separate sections because sometimes some of them have a lot of placed images, is there any other particular benefit to continuing to create the larger publications as a series of sections, linked to an indb file, rather than condensing all of the pages into one file? I can easily have as many master pages as I need and control the section numbering so I don't see any other benefit. Still, I create the larger publications so rarely that I may well be overlooking some positives to using the indb and a series of files.
I ask primarily because we're about to do six or seven of these larger publications and, as rarely happens, have enough notice that I can create a new template - in fact, I'll have to update the old templates with our new logo anyway. Also, I'll be exporting them as epub in addition to pdf, which seems like it would be easier if it was all one file. As near as I can tell, none of the upcoming projects will have enough placed images that opening or saving them all as one file will be an issue.
I have CS6, if that makes any difference.

Answer 1

Peter, thank you for those points. The file damage issue hasn't come up for me with regard to InDesign files so that wouldn't have occurred to me. I haven't been keeping versions of publications because most of them are small-ish and rarely take me more than a couple of hours, so they're converted to PDF before I close the file. I should be, though, and most especially with these larger ones, which go back to the author and editor for at least a day after I finish the layout.
Tom, I'll definitely be the only person working in InDesign. No one else will touch the program unless the company pays for training and the company won't pay for training, so it's just me.
I appreciate the responses. I don't see anything overwhelming to compel me to do these as books at this point but I've got another day or so before I need to work on the templates so I'll keep an eye out. )