Rotsler's novels include
Patron of the Arts (1974),
To the Land of the Electric Angel (1976),
Zandra (1978), and
The Far Frontier (1980). As a Star Trek tie-in book writer, Rotsler proposed a first name, Nyota, for communications officer Uhura, whose first name was never mentioned in the original series. Both series creator Gene Roddenberry and actress Nichelle Nichols agreed to the adoption of this name, which means "star" in Swahili. This as Uhura's first name is also featured in the 2009
Star Trek film.
For ten years, he was the cameraman for Bill Warren as they traveled about Los Angeles shooting segments for the French TV series,
Destination séries. Rotsler, like Warren, also appeared on camera in this series. He was a participant in the production of numerous "adults only" features produced by Harry Novak. His credits, sometimes under the pseudonym "Shannon Carse" include direction, camera and electrical department, writer, actor, editor, producer, and cinematographer on numerous Novak productions. Most notably, he directed the cult items
Mantis in Lace (1968) and
Agony of Love. Much of Rotsler's film work remains available from the cult-specialist video label Something Weird.
Rotsler was also a sculptor (he located the fossils, crystals and stones for the Nebula Award trophies), and contributed to the 1994 computer game
Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb.
Rotsler was known in the realm of science fiction conventions for "Rotsler's Rules of Order" and "Rotsler's Rules of Costuming", which contained, among others, these rules:
- If you kill it, you eat it. (a weapons policy)
- Don't go to bed with anyone crazier than yourself.
- The shoes gotta match.
- There should be a weight limit for the purchase of leotards.
- No peanut butter. (a costuming rule)