Korman’s first book, This Can’t be Happening at MacDonald Hall, was written when Korman was in the seventh grade and published by Scholastic in 1977, when Korman was 14 years old. By the time Korman graduated from Thornhill High School in Ontario, he had written and published five books. Korman has since written over 100 books for children and young adults, including individual novels, mystery series, and poetry. Korman started writing adventure series in 2001, beginning with the Island Trilogy. Shipwreck is the first book of the Island Trilogy, followed by Survival and Escape (2001). The Island Trilogy was followed by the Everest Trilogy (2002), the Dive Trilogy (2003), and the Titanic Trilogy (2011), all of which involve a group of children and young adults figuring out how to survive in the face of extreme natural danger. Korman uses the same formula when writing his books. In an interview with Scholastic, he says: “It's a combination between real life and pure imagination. […] I always start off with something real, but then I unleash my imagination to make it more exciting, funnier, or a better story” (“Gordon Korman.” Scholastic).

In addition to his solo projects, Korman worked collaboratively with multiple authors on the 39 Clues Series (2008, 2010), which he wrote while also completing the Titanic Trilogy.