[1][5] During the World War II, William Johnston served in the Pacific Theater[3] as a radio operator and gunner in the U.S. Navy Air Corps (1942–1945).
[1] After World War II, Johnston worked as a disc jockey at radio station WTAX in Springfield, Illinois.
[1][8] on Johnston wrote novels based on popular television series such as The Munsters,[9] Bewitched,[10][9] The Flying Nun, Get Smart, The Brady Bunch, Nanny and the Professor, Room 222, Happy Days, and Welcome Back Kotter.
Although most television series production took place in California, most of the major publishers were located in New York,[29] as they remain today.
[29] In addition, tie-in novelists had to work quickly on their books, and had the challenge of developing characters, plots, and dialogue that related closely enough to the original programs, so as to match the expectations of the readers/television viewers.
[29] Generally, Johnston worked quickly and could capture critical elements of the TV shows that he wrote about in his novels.
[29][3] Johnston's novels not related to film or television tended to be written for adults and frequently had ribald themes.
For example, Johnston wrote the novelization of a 1978 made-for-TV movie about Martin Luther King Jr., and it received a brief review in Library Journal.
[3] Unsuccessful in finding a job in this field due to his age,[3][6] Johnston opened his own bar, The Blind Pig,[2][6] in Massapequa,[3] and he ran it successfully.
[2][3] It was during his residence in San Jose that he received the Grand Master Scribe Award -- Faust Award—from the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers.