Al Otaiba has published more than 135 poetry books, written in colloquial Arabic, formal Arabic, and English. His writing was renowned even before the unification of the Emirates in 1972. Al Otaiba has written novels (including "Karima", which became the basis for a television series) and several non-fiction books including "Essays on Petroleum", "The Petroleum Concession Agreements", and "OPEC and the Petroleum Industry". He has been awarded several honorary doctorates, including a Doctorate of Law from Keio University in Japan, a Doctorate of Law from the University of Manila in the Philippines, and a Doctorate of Economics from the University of São Paulo in Brazil.