After graduating from Princeton University he became a prolific writer of pulp fiction under his own name, the pen name of Conrad Gerson, and wrote seventeen Nick Carter novels for Street and Smith.

Wormser's first crime fiction novel was The Man with the Wax Face in 1934. His first Western novel was The Lonesome Quarter in 1951.

Hollywood purchased several of his stories beginning with his It's All in the Racket filmed as Sworn Enemy in 1936. Columbia Pictures signed him for a short term writing contract in 1937. He was fired, then rehired by Columbia and worked for several other studios. Columbia once couldn't make up its mind between buying two of his stories, The Frame Up or Right Guy. The studio at last decided on Right Guy but filmed it under the title of The Frame Up.

During World War II he served as a forest ranger.

Wormser won Western Spur Awards for juvenile fiction in 1964 for Ride a Northbound Horse and in 1971 for The Black Mustanger. He also won an Edgar award for best paperback The Intruder in 1973.

Wormser authored several novelisations of films

• Thief of Baghdad 1961
• The Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah 1962
• McLintock! 1963
• Bedtime Story 1964
• Operation Crossbow 1965
• Major Dundee 1965
• Alvarez Kelly 1966
• Torn Curtain 1966
• The Scalphunters 1968

and four novels based on TV series,three as "Ed Friend":

• The Green Hornet: The Infernal Light 1967, adaptation (Dell)
• The High Chaparral: Coyote Gold 1969, original (Tempo)
• The Most Deadly Game: The Corpse in the Castle 1970, original (Lancer)

and one as Richard Wormser:

• The Wild Wild West 1966, adaptation (Signet)