diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 875610ebe07e5..cf1276caf781c 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2279,6 +2279,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "log 0.3.9 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "parking_lot 0.4.8 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "substrate-client 0.1.0",
+ "substrate-codec 0.1.0",
  "substrate-executor 0.1.0",
  "substrate-extrinsic-pool 0.1.0",
  "substrate-primitives 0.1.0",
diff --git a/substrate/primitives/src/lib.rs b/substrate/primitives/src/lib.rs
index 68306b01e80c0..5fd4e1a642636 100644
--- a/substrate/primitives/src/lib.rs
+++ b/substrate/primitives/src/lib.rs
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ macro_rules! map {
 	)
 }
 
+use rstd::prelude::*;
+use rstd::ops::Deref;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "std")]
 pub mod bytes;
@@ -87,3 +89,17 @@ pub type AuthorityId = [u8; 32];
 
 /// A 512-bit value interpreted as a signature.
 pub type Signature = hash::H512;
+
+/// Hex-serialised shim for `Vec<u8>`.
+#[derive(PartialEq, Eq, Clone)]
+#[cfg_attr(feature = "std", derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug, Hash, PartialOrd, Ord))]
+pub struct Bytes(#[cfg_attr(feature = "std", serde(with="bytes"))] pub Vec<u8>);
+
+impl From<Vec<u8>> for Bytes {
+	fn from(s: Vec<u8>) -> Self { Bytes(s) }
+}
+
+impl Deref for Bytes {
+	type Target = [u8];
+	fn deref(&self) -> &[u8] { &self.0[..] }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/substrate/rpc/Cargo.toml b/substrate/rpc/Cargo.toml
index fb8bea65a9054..d78f69d925bab 100644
--- a/substrate/rpc/Cargo.toml
+++ b/substrate/rpc/Cargo.toml
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ jsonrpc-macros = { git="https://github.com/paritytech/jsonrpc.git" }
 jsonrpc-pubsub = { git="https://github.com/paritytech/jsonrpc.git" }
 log = "0.3"
 parking_lot = "0.4"
+substrate-codec = { path = "../codec" }
 substrate-client = { path = "../client" }
 substrate-executor = { path = "../executor" }
 substrate-extrinsic-pool = { path = "../extrinsic-pool" }
diff --git a/substrate/rpc/src/author/error.rs b/substrate/rpc/src/author/error.rs
index 5f7b9a82b282a..ea6a713cd7893 100644
--- a/substrate/rpc/src/author/error.rs
+++ b/substrate/rpc/src/author/error.rs
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ error_chain! {
 		Pool(txpool::Error, txpool::ErrorKind) #[doc = "Pool error"];
 	}
 	errors {
+		/// Incorrect transaction format.
+		BadFormat {
+			description("bad format"),
+			display("Invalid transaction format"),
+		}
 		/// Not implemented yet
 		Unimplemented {
 			description("not yet implemented"),
diff --git a/substrate/rpc/src/author/mod.rs b/substrate/rpc/src/author/mod.rs
index fd29fa8adc821..1d916b4e29c6d 100644
--- a/substrate/rpc/src/author/mod.rs
+++ b/substrate/rpc/src/author/mod.rs
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use client::{self, Client};
 use extrinsic_pool::api::{Error, ExtrinsicPool};
+use codec::Slicable;
 
+use primitives::Bytes;
 use runtime_primitives::{generic, traits::Block as BlockT};
 use state_machine;
 
@@ -35,8 +37,11 @@ build_rpc_trait! {
 	/// Substrate authoring RPC API
 	pub trait AuthorApi<Hash, Extrinsic> {
 		/// Submit extrinsic for inclusion in block.
+		#[rpc(name = "author_submitRichExtrinsic")]
+		fn submit_rich_extrinsic(&self, Extrinsic) -> Result<Hash>;
+		/// Submit hex-encoded extrinsic for inclusion in block.
 		#[rpc(name = "author_submitExtrinsic")]
-		fn submit_extrinsic(&self, Extrinsic) -> Result<Hash>;
+		fn submit_extrinsic(&self, Bytes) -> Result<Hash>;
 	}
 }
 
@@ -55,7 +60,6 @@ impl<B, E, Block: BlockT, P> Author<B, E, Block, P> {
 	}
 }
 
-
 impl<B, E, Block, P, Ex, Hash> AuthorApi<Hash, Ex> for Author<B, E, Block, P> where
 	B: client::backend::Backend<Block> + Send + Sync + 'static,
 	E: client::CallExecutor<Block> + Send + Sync + 'static,
@@ -63,8 +67,13 @@ impl<B, E, Block, P, Ex, Hash> AuthorApi<Hash, Ex> for Author<B, E, Block, P> wh
 	client::error::Error: From<<<B as client::backend::Backend<Block>>::State as state_machine::backend::Backend>::Error>,
 	P: ExtrinsicPool<Ex, generic::BlockId<Block>, Hash>,
 	P::Error: 'static,
+	Ex: Slicable,
 {
-	fn submit_extrinsic(&self, xt: Ex) -> Result<Hash> {
+	fn submit_extrinsic(&self, xt: Bytes) -> Result<Hash> {
+		self.submit_rich_extrinsic(Ex::decode(&mut &xt[..]).ok_or(error::Error::from(error::ErrorKind::BadFormat))?)
+	}
+
+	fn submit_rich_extrinsic(&self, xt: Ex) -> Result<Hash> {
 		let best_block_hash = self.client.info().unwrap().chain.best_hash;
 		self.pool
 			.submit(generic::BlockId::hash(best_block_hash), vec![xt])
diff --git a/substrate/rpc/src/author/tests.rs b/substrate/rpc/src/author/tests.rs
index 08757957226b2..6c5b5fb05e2b1 100644
--- a/substrate/rpc/src/author/tests.rs
+++ b/substrate/rpc/src/author/tests.rs
@@ -65,10 +65,26 @@ fn submit_transaction_should_not_cause_error() {
 	};
 
 	assert_matches!(
-		AuthorApi::submit_extrinsic(&p, 5),
+		AuthorApi::submit_extrinsic(&p, u64::encode(&5).into()),
 		Ok(1)
 	);
 	assert!(
-		AuthorApi::submit_extrinsic(&p, 5).is_err()
+		AuthorApi::submit_extrinsic(&p, u64::encode(&5).into()).is_err()
+	);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn submit_rich_transaction_should_not_cause_error() {
+	let p = Author {
+		client: Arc::new(test_client::new()),
+		pool: Arc::new(DummyTxPool::default()),
+	};
+
+	assert_matches!(
+		AuthorApi::submit_rich_extrinsic(&p, 5),
+		Ok(1)
+	);
+	assert!(
+		AuthorApi::submit_rich_extrinsic(&p, 5).is_err()
 	);
 }
diff --git a/substrate/rpc/src/lib.rs b/substrate/rpc/src/lib.rs
index 8cd043652ae57..f8099ec33e27e 100644
--- a/substrate/rpc/src/lib.rs
+++ b/substrate/rpc/src/lib.rs
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 extern crate jsonrpc_core as rpc;
 extern crate jsonrpc_pubsub;
 extern crate parking_lot;
+extern crate substrate_codec as codec;
 extern crate substrate_client as client;
 extern crate substrate_extrinsic_pool as extrinsic_pool;
 extern crate substrate_primitives as primitives;